Man who killed guard Lorraine Barwell detained indefinitely

On the day he assaulted Lorraine Barwell, Humphrey Burke had been due to be sentenced for arson and attempted robbery

A mentally ill man who killed a custody officer by kicking her in the head has been detained indefinitely.

Humphrey Burke, 28, attacked 54-year-old Lorraine Barwell as she tried to escort him from court in June 2015.

Last month, he admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and has now been handed an indefinite hospital order.

The Old Bailey heard that on the day of the attack, Burke had been due to be sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court.

He had admitted arson and attempted robbery, in which he smashed up a bookmakers with a hammer after a cashier refused his demand for cash, then set light to another, accidentally burning his clothes in the process.

Concerns for Burke's mental health had been raised before his appearance at Blackfriars and he was put down as "violent" and requiring a "three-man unlock".

A colleague of Ms Barwell had described how Burke pulled his leg back and kicked her in the face before he could be transferred to a prison van.

The court heard Burke suffered from a delusion that he was a robot acting under an "external force" at the time.

Ms Barwell, who had worked for security firm Serco for more than 10 years, is believed to be the first prison custody officer to be killed on duty, the Ministry of Justice said.

In victim impact statements, Ms Barwell's family described the loss of the much-loved mother and grandmother as "emotional torture".

Sentencing, Judge Mark Lucraft QC said the events surrounding Ms Barwell's death were "terrifying and appalling".

The judge rejected a penal element to the sentence in light of his mental state, saying assessment and treatment were "key".

Burke made no reaction throughout the sentence hearing.