Indefinite hospital order for man who killed former Wasps rugby player

Indefinite hospital order for man who killed former Wasps rugby player thumbnail

A man who stabbed an “inspirational” former Wasps rugby player to death has been detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.

Gurjeet Lall, 36, attacked grandfather-of-five Allan Isichei, 69, as the retired rugby star walked home from his local pub in Southall, west London, last year.

Lall was cleared of Mr Isichei’s murder in October but found guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

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Allan Isichei was described as an “inspiration”

He has now been given a hospital order “without limit on time” under section 37 of the Mental Health Act.

Mr Isichei was a prop for top division rugby club Wasps during the 1970s and 1980s, and played nearly 200 games for the club’s first XV.

The grandfather had been walking home from the Plough Inn near his home when he saw Lall spit on the ground and confronted him, a court heard.

After Lall spat again, an argument ensued during which the younger man produced a knife and stabbed Mr Isichei in the stomach.

The 69-year-old managed to crawl to a neighbour’s house to seek help but paramedics were unable to save him.

His family described their “unimaginable” pain in a statement read out in court by prosecutor Andrew Orchard QC. Buy Google Reviews

The statement written by his daughter read: “My dad did not choose August 24 2019 to die, it was chosen for him by the man who stabbed him.

“The man that chose to arm himself with a knife on that day and use it in an unprovoked attack for reasons we are still unable to comprehend.

“That man is the one who chose that day for my dad to die in the most cruel and vicious way. Our family has attended court every day and had to relive the horrific way dad was killed.

“However, we are proud to represent our father, husband, brother and friend who is tragically not here to speak for himself.”

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Allan Isichei was killed as he walked home from his local pub

They added that Lall had since shown a “lack of remorse”.

Medical expert Dr Marc Jeanneret had told a court that Lall was “highly dangerous” and had been “duplicitous” by picking up prescriptions for his schizophrenia but not using the medication for many months.

The 36-year-old told jurors he could not remember the last time he took his medication.

He had previously been arrested for possession of a knife in 2014 and 2019, something which led Mr Isichei’s family to question why he had been free to kill just months after his arrest.

Passing sentence, Judge Usha Karu said Mr Isichei had been a “teacher, a mentor and an inspiration” and his life had been “needlessly lost”.