A 23-year-old man who gouged out the eye of an elderly pensioner before battering him to death with his own walking stick has been detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.
Sekai Miles launched the random and ferocious attack on 87-year-old Bernard Fowler outside Harold Wood station in east London in the early hours of February 27 last year.
Miles struck the retired grandfather 19 times over the head with his cane and stamped on his skull eight more times before walking away, only to return and stand over the dying man in a chilling “triumphant stance.”
Random attack in the early hours
CCTV showed Mr Fowler walking towards the station just before 4am to collect free newspapers. Within minutes, Miles approached him and began gouging his eyes. The elderly man fell to the ground, where Miles continued the assault, kicking him and using his walking stick as a weapon.
The court heard Miles was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time and had stopped taking his medication after claiming he had been “saved by God.” He had also reportedly taken the synthetic drug Spice in the past.
He had arrived at Harold Wood from Liverpool Street station and threatened staff before attempting to book a taxi. When the driver missed him, Miles remained in the area until he spotted Mr Fowler and launched the fatal attack.
Found with religious leaflets and a Bible
After police arrived at the scene, Miles ran off carrying the bloodied stick and his trainers. When officers searched his belongings, they found religious pamphlets and a Bible with passages about losing and regaining sight highlighted in green.
In custody, he threatened to “pluck out” an officer’s eye—mirroring what he’d already done to Mr Fowler during the fatal assault.
‘He was my wingman and confidante’
In heartbreaking victim impact statements, Mr Fowler’s son Darrin described his father as loving, compassionate and kind.
“My father had a huge heart,” he said. “It doesn’t feel real, and I cannot process he’s gone. He was my wingman and confidante. I feel angry at the way he was so brutally taken.”
Judge orders indefinite detention
Miles admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and assaulting a police officer. The court heard he had a long history of mental illness, including hearing voices from the age of 12, and there were missed opportunities for treatment before the killing.
He was handed a hospital order with restrictions, meaning he will be held in Broadmoor for treatment and cannot be released without approval from the Ministry of Justice.
The judge said he would likely remain detained for many years.
