Cameras allowed in courts to see judge sentence Ben Oliver for killing grandfather

Cameras allowed in courts to see judge sentence Ben Oliver for killing grandfather

Web Desk
July 28, 2022

Cameras allowed in courts to see judge sentence Ben Oliver for killing grandfather

Judge Sarah Munro QC’s sentencing was broadcast live from the Old Bailey.
Oliver killed his grandfather after learning of allegations of sexual abuse against him.
The teenager was depressed and suicidal in the months leading up to the killing.

In a historic first, cameras were allowed in court to show a judge sentenced a 25-year-old man to life in prison for fatally stabbing his grandfather.

Ben Oliver, who had been cleared of murder, admitted manslaughter on the 19th of January last year in Mottingham, south-east London, of 74-year-old David Oliver.

Judge Sarah Munro QC’s sentencing of Oliver on Thursday was broadcast live from the Old Bailey in central London, making legal history as she told him he posed a “significant risk to the public.”

For the first time, TV cameras were allowed into a criminal court in England – read the live updates as they happened.

According to the judge, Oliver repeatedly cut his bedbound victim’s throat “with severe force” and stabbed him in the mouth and eyes until “he was utterly powerless.”

During the trial, jurors heard that the brutal attack was carried out with the intent to kill because Oliver was “very angry” after learning of allegations of historical sexual abuse of girls against his grandfather.

The defendant, who was born with a congenital hearing impairment, grew up in “difficult times,” according to Judge Munro, who described his troubled family background and early childhood experiences as having left him “irreparably damaged.”

Oliver’s father abandoned his mother shortly after his birth, and her new partner was “extremely cruel” to the defendant, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age and was bullied at school and in and out of care, according to her.

Oliver was 15 years old when he was convicted of sexual assault on a young girl in 2016. In September 2019, he was released from youth detention.

He was depressed and suicidal in the months leading up to the killing after learning of allegations of sexual abuse against his grandfather, who was also said to have mistreated his wife and had affairs.

Oliver developed a “obsessional tunnel vision” toward his grandfather, leading to a determined decision to kill in a “ferocious” manner, according to the judge.

“He can’t hurt you any more,” he told his nan after the killing, and also sent a text message to his mother, saying: “Mum, I’ve killed grandad. I love you.”