Birmingham killer caught after talking on bus about hammer attack

Gary O'Neill refused to answer any questions when he was interviewed, police said

A man who killed his friend with a hammer was caught after being overheard talking about it on a bus.

Gary O'Neill attacked Kenneth Ford at his Birmingham bedsit in February 2022.

He then caught a bus to Scotland, where a passenger heard him say he had "straightened Ken out".

O'Neill, 32, was found not guilty of murder at Birmingham Crown Court, but admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. He is due to be sentenced in February.

"The attack was sustained and horrific and Mr Ford was found with defence wounds to his hands where he'd tried to protect himself," said Det Insp Michelle Thurgood from West Midlands Police.

It happened on 27 February 2022 at a multi-occupancy property on Colebrook Road in Birmingham.

Following O'Neill's comments the next morning on a bus to Glasgow, a fellow passenger called 999 after overhearing him in a phone call discussing the attack, with O'Neill suggesting Mr Ford would need an ambulance, police said.

At about the same time, police and paramedics had been called to the Colebrook Road property, after the friends of 30-year-old Mr Ford raised concerns about his welfare.

He was found dead, with bruising and wounds across his body.

Kenneth Ford's family said: "None of us can understand why he was taken so young."

O'Neill, of Kenilworth Road, in Handsworth, was arrested as he got off the bus in Glasgow, and had blood-stained clothing, police said.

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

"We heard from people who said O'Neill and Mr Ford were best friends, however they regularly drank heavily and took prescription drugs," said Det Insp Thurgood.

"My thoughts remain with Kenneth's family."

O'Neill is set to be sentenced on 9 February after his plea of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility was accepted on Tuesday.