Man 'bludgeoned care worker to death after being told to turn down TV'

The trial is being heard at the Old Bailey in central London
John Linwood/Creative Commons licence CC BY-ND 2.0
Sebastian Mann17 February 2016
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A care worker was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher by a man with anger issues after she asked him to turn down his television, the Old Bailey heard.

Michael Meanza, 47, had been living in a mental health hostel in Acton, west London, for three months when he bludgeoned Jenny Foote, 38, over the head and face with the heavy implement.

Ms Foote visited the defendant’s room in the early hours of July 7, 2015, to speak to him after receiving a complaint about the noise of his TV, the court heard.

After a short chat in the doorway, she returned to her office.

Prosecutor Brian O'Neill QC said: "There is nothing further of relevance for the next three hours until just before 6am when Meanza left his room, made his way downstairs and killed her."

Jurors were told the defendant had admitted manslaughter, but denied murder, citing a "severe anger pathology".

Meanza, who had been the subject of a hospital order since the 1990s, would argue that he was suffering from a personality disorder which affected his ability to exercise self-control.

But Mr O'Neill said: "In our submission it cannot be right either as a matter of law or on the grounds of public policy that Michael Meanza - or any defendant - should be able to escape full responsibility for an unlawful killing on the basis he is too angry an individual to be guilty of murder."

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA

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