Video footage has been released of a killer hours after he walked into a woman's home and beat her to death before decapitating and dismembering her. Luke Deeley was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and experiencing delusions and hallucinations when he killed 65-year-old June Fox-Roberts.
The 26-year-old entered her home in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd, in the early hours of June 21, 2021, before attacking her and dismembering her with an axe, then placing her limbs in bags. Mrs Fox-Roberts' remains were discovered later that day by her daughter and a friend who became concerned after being unable to contact her.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Deeley left the address in St Anne's Drive having attempted to clean up the scene, shaved inside the property and dyed his hair. He spent the night sleeping in a trailer at Creigiau Tyres nearby. He was caught on CCTV footage in which he appeared to be talking and singing to himself while sitting on the floor.
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He was arrested on June 23 and claimed a "higher power" was telling him to kill someone and had the delusional belief a group of people were out to get him. He was sectioned under Section 45 of the Mental Health Act and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
The court heard three psychiatric reports had been prepared and were of the same opinion that Deeley was suffering an "abnormality of mind" – namely paranoid schizophrenia – at the time of Mrs Fox-Roberts' death. It was agreed that Deeley's ability to understand the nature of his conduct, to form a rational judgement, and to exercise self-control was "substantially impaired" as a result of his condition.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Griffiths said: "There is a high risk you will commit further serious offences if you are not detained. Detention is necessary to protect the public from serious harm. It’s not possible to say how long that will be so.”
Deeley was made subject to a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, meaning he will be detained at a high-security hospital. He was also made subject to special restrictions set out in section 41 of the act without limit of time.
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