Patient sentenced over ward death

A schizophrenic man strangled a fellow patient on a mixed sex ward because voices told him she accused him of being a spy, a court has heard.

Telahum Tedola, 36, killed 58-year-old Rosalind McManus with a belt at Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale, last year.

He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Manchester Crown Court in February.

Judge Andrew Gilbart, sentencing him on Thursday, said he should be detained on an indefinite mental health order.

Ms McManus was found strangled in a ward at the hospital on 13 August 2007.

Staff alerted police and a very short time later Tedola, a refugee originally from Ethiopia, was arrested on suspicion of murder after admitting the killing to staff.

'Well-liked woman'

Because of his mental illness, Tedola heard voices in his head saying Ms McManus had been telling staff he was a spy and that he had to kill her.

The court heard that Tedola had been admitted to the hospital just a week before he killed Ms McManus, who was a long-term patient.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Supt Andy Tattersall, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "This case was made all the more tragic by the fact that Rosalind did not have any family that we could find, only her dog Lucky, who she loved.

"GMP made several attempts to trace her family back to Northern Ireland where she was originally from, but despite a heart-warming response from communities there, we never found any of Rosalind's relatives.

"Lucky was re-homed and Rosalind's funeral was well-attended. She was obviously a very well-liked woman."

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