A MENTALLY ill man who stabbed to death an elderly mobility scooter user in Greenford will be detained indefinitely in hospital.

Lee Byer, 46, had been out of prison for just five days when he launched an unprovoked knife attack on Thomas O’Halloran, 87, stabbing him twice through the heart.

The pensioner, a familiar figure in the Greenford area, was returning home on his mobility scooter after busking outside Tesco, raising money for causes in Ukraine.

The killer admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, said Mr O’Halloran was a gentle and loving man who had spent his life helping everyone he could.

“No words could cover the grief his family feel at this senseless killing”, said the judge.