Man gets life for ‘cruel’ murder of grandfather in South London in first televised conviction of Old Bailey

Judge Sarah Munro QC made legal history on Thursday when she handed 25-year-old Ben Oliver a 10-year, eight-month minimum term for manslaughter.

Oliver, from Bexleyheathwas acquitted of murder but confessed to the manslaughter of 74-year-old David Oliver in Mottingham on January 19 last year.

Shortly before noon, the court heard Oliver stab his bedridden grandfather in a frenzied attack with a kitchen knife.

His autism spectrum disorder coupled with factors lessened his responsibility for the murder, the court was told.

In 2016, Oliver was convicted of sex crimes against a young girl when he was 15 years old, and in September 2019 he was released from juvenile detention.

Judge Munro noted that he had loved his grandparents, but that turned into hatred of his grandfather when he learned of sexual abuse allegations against him.

Oliver developed “obsessive tunnel vision” that led to a determined decision to kill in a “cruel” manner, the judge said.

The judge told Oliver of the events: “On the 19th the caretakers came as usual to attend to your grandfather’s needs.

“When they were gone, your grandma got him a cookie and coffee. That was the last time she saw him alive.

“You were known to be nervous and couldn’t rest. You asked to lie down with your grandmother and you did.

“But when she got up, you went down. It was around 11:30-11:45. You chose a knife from the kitchen and went to your grandfather’s room.

“You slit his throat repeatedly with great force, stabbed in his mouth so he wouldn’t cry and in his eyes so he couldn’t look at you as you killed him.

“He tried in vain to protect himself by raising his right arm. He was completely powerless.

“There were a total of 21 stab wounds to the face, seven to the torso and obvious defensive injuries. He died very quickly from massive blood loss.

“Nan called 999 while you were sitting with her. At one point you went upstairs and sat on the windowsill.

“I’m glad you had it in mind to jump to your death, but your grandmother persuaded you to come in and you stayed quiet with her until the police arrived.

“You were fully cooperative. Your grandmother told the police ‘we all wanted to kill him’.”

After weighing aggravating and mitigating properties, the judge told Oliver, “In your case, I think the seriousness of the crime warrants a life sentence.”

However, the judge acknowledged Oliver’s admission of guilt and expression of remorse when he told a probation officer, “I’ve only made it worse, made the pain worse.”

Earlier, as an extenuation, Jennifer Dempster QC said, “The word tragic is a word that may be overused in this building to describe some cases — not so in this particular case.”

She said a series of “very unfortunate events” had combined to create a “near perfect storm” in which the murder took place.

“This is a young man who has been sadly abandoned on a number of levels by those who should have looked after him,” she said.

The decision to air Oliver’s sentencing was announced Wednesday by the Justice Department and was hailed by broadcasters as a “landmark moment for open justice”.

The amendment will allow High Court and Senior Circuit judges who sit in the Crown Courts to be filmed delivering their sentencing comments.

Only the judge will be in front of the camera to protect the privacy of victims, witnesses and jurors.

After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran, who led the investigation, said: “This is a tragic case that has broken a family. My thoughts are with them today.”