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The family of an 86-year-old beaten to death in a Somerset village have said her killer has escaped “a life sentence” after he was sentenced to six years in prison.
David Parish, 38, had been taken to Wellsprings hospital near Taunton but left and made his way to the tiny village of Broomfield, where he killed Beryl “Bez” Purdy in her home after trapping her husband, Peter, in the kitchen, Bristol crown court heard.
Parish, from Bridgwater, was “actively psychotic” with schizophrenia, induced by smoking cannabis, at the time of the attack in 2023 but a psychiatrist report produced for his sentencing said he was no longer suffering from the mental disorder.
The judge, Mr Justice Pushpinder Saini, sentenced Parish to a six-year custodial sentence on Friday after the killer pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
After the sentencing, Purdy’s family criticised the sentence in a statement and called for greater protection for the public.
It read: “We are serving a life sentence of torment knowing that we were unable to save Bez from her attacker and the outcome of sentencing today also means that her attacker avoids a life sentence.
“We would not wish our hell on any other family and urge for a review of how the community can be protected from people with severe mental health issues.”
The court heard that after leaving the unit on 27 March 2023, Parish went to a nearby barber and had his hair cut short and his beard shaved off.
The prosecutor, Anna Vigars KC, told the court how Parish had tried to pull a man from a car as he drove away from the car park in Fyne Court, a National Trust property near Broomfield, but failed.
Parish later gained access to the Purdys’ home and, after locking Peter in the kitchen, beat Bez with a golf umbrella.
Parish was arrested at 8.40pm the same evening by patrol officers who noticed him walking along the verge of a road. He told them he was returning home after a day at work on a nearby farm and gave a false name.
He was initially sectioned to a secure facility in Devon where he was later released into custody and charged. Parish took £75 and clothing from the house to facilitate his escape.
The court was told that Parish had been of previous good character and he did not know Beryl Purdy, who had been a church warden for 20 years before her death.
Speaking after the sentence, DI Debbie Hatch said: “This case highlights the complex intersection between mental health and criminal justice. While the defendant’s illness does not excuse his actions, it has been recognised as a key factor in the tragic events which unfolded.”
A spokesperson for Somerset NHS foundation trust said: “As is standard practice with tragic incidents like this, we conducted a full root cause analysis investigation to understand and review the unit’s environment, to identify if there are any areas of learning that we can take forward for our future care and support to patients and families. This includes a review of security arrangements on Rydon ward, where appropriate changes have been made.”
