Failed asylum seeker who killed woman, 87, he befriended held at secure hospital
A failed asylum seeker who killed an elderly woman in what a judge branded an "appalling act of brutality" has been detained in a psychiatric hospital.
Shahin Darvish-Narenjbon was befriended by 87-year-old Brenda Blainey in a restaurant, who then let him move into her home in the picturesque village of Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire.
A court heard Mrs Blainey had treated the 34-year-old "like a grandson" after meeting at a Carluccio's branch in Leeds, where he was living as a student.
The pensioner had offered him a room and use of her study and car, even later attending his masters graduation.
But on January 5 last year, Darvish-Narenjbon strangled his benefactor before smashing her head on the kitchen floor, stabbing her in the chest and cutting her throat.
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It's thought Mrs Blainey had been ordering shopping over the phone when she was attacked by her lodger, who psychiatrists have since ruled suffers from schizophrenia.
Forensics teams at the murder scene in Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire (Yorkshire Post / SWNS)Sentencing the Iranian national at Leeds crown court on Wednesday, Judge Rodney Jameson KC said: "You killed Brenda Blainey in her own home in circumstances of appalling brutality".
The judge added: "You have never given, and have never been capable of giving, a full account of what you did."
Three consultant forensic psychiatrists agreed on the defendant's diagnosis, telling the court his "retained responsibility" for the killing was "low".
"I want to make it clear both to you and to the family of Brenda Blainey that this is not to say that your responsibility is extinguished. It is not.
"You remain, albeit to a low degree, responsible for the dreadful death of Mrs Blainey and for the grief and suffering that this has caused to her friends and family."
Darvish-Narenjbon was described as a risk to the general public and that he was capable of "homicidal violence" when suffering bouts of psychosis.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing.
Brenda Blainey was found strangled, stabbed and beaten at her home in North Yorkshire (Yorkshire Post / SWNS)The court was told he was born in Tehran but has mainly lived in the UK since he was 15 although he stayed for a period in the US, where he spent time in a psychiatric unit.
PA reports Darvish-Narenjbon arrived in the UK in 2005 as a student, but claimed asylum in 2013 after his visa expired.
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This claim was refused and subsequent appeals were unsuccessful. He had exhausted all appeal options by 2017, but submitted another asylum claim in 2020 - which was outstanding at the time of the killing.
According to a Government source, he could not be removed from the UK between 2017 and 2020 - when he lodged the second claim - because there was not a returns agreement in place with Iran.
The judge said on Wednesday: "Given the situation in Iran, however, you will not presently be considered for deportation."
Brenda Blainey was killed in an 'appalling act of brutality' at her home in North Yorkshire (Yorkshire Post / SWNS)Darvish-Narenjbon, formerly of Cookridge, Leeds, appeared in court by video-link from Rampton high security special hospital wearing a grey sweatshirt as members of Mrs Blainey's family watched in the courtroom.
The judge ordered him to be detained at Rampton "without limit of time".
Acting Detective Superintendent Graeme Wright of North Yorkshire Police said: "This is an incredibly tragic incident in which Brenda lost her life after showing immense kindness to a young man who she identified was in need of support.
"Brenda was well-known in the local community for her compassion in helping people and had taken Darvish-Narenjbon into her home, giving him a place to live and treating him as a member of her family.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with Brenda's family and I hope that the conclusion of this case today can give them some closure."
A source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: "We are working on bringing forward reforms to the immigration system which will allow for the swift removal of those who come here illegally and also reforms to stop people making spurious asylum claims."
A Home Office spokesman said: "Foreign national offenders who exploit our system and commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible.
"The Government is committed to stopping abuse of the immigration system, taking decisive action against those who try to play the system."
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