Hammer attack killer jailed for life

Gary O'Neill was cleared of murder but admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility which was accepted by prosecutors

A man has been jailed for life for killing his friend after he was caught when he was overheard on a bus talking about the hammer attack.

West Midlands Police, which went to a bedsit on 27 February 2022 after friends raised the alarm, said Kenneth Ford, 30, was pronounced dead at his flat in Colebrook Road in Birmingham.

Around the same time, a bus passenger called 999 to say they had overheard a man on a phone telling how he had "straightened Ken out".

Gary O'Neill, 32, from Kenilworth Road, Birmingham, was given a life sentence and told he would serve a minimum of seven years and 11 months in prison at Stafford Crown Court.

O'Neill was arrested in Scotland the day after attacking Mr Ford and was wearing blood-stained clothing, detectives said.

The blood was that of Mr Ford and mobile phone analysis put the 32-year-old at the scene of the attack.

He was found not guilty of murder at Birmingham Crown Court but admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility which was accepted by prosecutors.

Mr Ford was described by associates as O'Neill's "best friend", police said.

Kenneth Ford was pronounced dead at his flat in Birmingham