On the 2nd of September, 2004, 50-year-old Putney resident, Denis Finnegan, was murdered as he cycled in Richmond Park, London.

Paranoid schizophrenic John Barrett stabbed Denis to death with a nine-inch carving knife less than 24 hours after getting out of a psychiatric hospital.

Barrett's Irish mother had five children by his father, who was a Jamaican criminal. He spent long periods of his childhood in care and was expelled from school at 15. He drifted into a life of crime and was convicted of credit card fraud, burglary and shoplifting.

However, success as a dancer led to his being noticed on the music scene and, in his twenties Barrett featured in Smash Hits magazine, appeared in numerous TV programmes celebrating the achievements of young, black people, was interviewed by Tony Blackburn and released two single records in 1987.

Hip-Hop label, Streetsounds, promoted him as "the voice of '88" and the next big soul star.

Moving through a succesion of white women, with whom he had several children, Barrett became frustrated when success did not come as quickly as he imagined it would. He returned to crime and robbed a post office.

He was caught and jailed for four years in 1992.

Barrett was first diagnosed as mentally ill in 1997 and diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 2000.

In September, 2002, he was sent to a secure unit "indefinitely" after stabbing three people at an outpatients' clinic.

He was released just 13 months later.

In May, 2004, he was admitted to Springfield Hospital in Tooting, south-west London, as a voluntary patient but was discharged after only five days.

On the 1st of September, the day before he killed Denis, Barrett returned to hospital as a voluntary patient but disappeared a little while later.

Scotland Yard said Barrett he bought a set of kitchen knives from a DIY store, took a taxi to Richmond Park and lay in wait for a suitable victim.

Marjorie Wallace, of mental health charity SANE, said the mental health service was so hard pressed it could not protect the public and added:

"SANE believes that many of the 40 homicides a year committed by people in contact with mental health services... could have been prevented had the patients not been allowed to discharge themselves, abscond or simply leave psychiatric wards, with little effort being made to follow them up or give adequate information to families, police or those entrusted with their care. There seems to be a worrying increase in the numbers of patients who are allowed to disappear in the community while they are extremely disturbed."

Det Ch Insp Chris Watts said:

"In the interview he told us he heard voices in his head telling him to kill."

Andy Bell, director of communications at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health said of the murders committed by care in the community patients:

"It is a very low risk when you compare it to the number of violent incidents involving alcohol...

The policy of care in the community has allowed hundreds of people to live peacefully and normally as valued members of the community... We don't want to go back to a Victorian policy of locking up people away from the community on the grounds that one day maybe they might be a risk.

It is very, very difficult to predict violence, and so such a policy would require locking away hundreds, maybe even thousands of people in order to prevent one or two tragic incidents."

The Chief Executive of the trust which runs Springfield Hospital, Nigel Fisher, said:

"I am committed to ensuring that an in-depth analysis of the incident takes place to ensure we do all we can to prevent a tragedy of this sort happening in the future."

What would I do?

I go find a black, schizophrenic, has-been pop star in the nearest loonie bin, I'd give him a set of kitchen knives and take him to the park.

Then I'd ring Andy Bell and Nigel Fisher and invite them to cycle over for a picnic.

Barrett was awaiting sentencing for a prior conviction for wounding with intent when Denis was killed.

His son is in jail.

Jenny Tonge, the former Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park, voted to downgrade the illegality of cannabis usage and possession.

She also siged both EDMs proposing that a statue of Nelson Mandela occupy the vacant fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square and signed an EDM proposing that a statue of Mary Seacole, a black woman who nursed British soldiers during the Crimean war, should be placed upon the vacant fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
 
However, she did not sign an EDM proposing that the service and sacrifice of British seafarers in defence of the United Kingdom should be commemorated by a statue erected upon the empty plinth.

Nor did she sign an EDM which recognised "the important and historic contribution made by the manual working class workers of this country," and called upon "the Mayor of London's Advisory Group to recommend the erection of a statue to the manual working class on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square."

Tonge signed a great many Early Day Motions sympathetic to and supportive of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants, within and/or seeking to gain entry to the UK, since New Labour came to power.

However, she did not sign EDM 73, which was critical of Abdullah Azad, of the Welfare Centre, Manchester, who had offered to sell UK passports to those whose immigration status was in question.

She also signed an EDM sympathising with asylum-seeker, Edneth Gotora, and condemning the govenrment for seeking to return her to Zimbabwe.

Tonge also signed an EDM commenting on the "suspicious death" of Ricky Reel, although police investigations have never been able to conclude anything other than that Reel, who had been drinking, fell into the Thames whilst urinating.

She also signed an EDM noting the death of Roger Sylvester, a black man who died in custody "following restraint by police officers."

She also signed EDM 944, which eulogised PC Kalawant Sidhu, who fell to his death while chasing a criminal over rooftops in 1999.

However, since New Labour came to power, Tonge has never signed an EDM which named any of the 71 other police officers of ethnic British origin who were killed in the line of duty.

She also signed an EDM condemning Feltham Young Offenders Institution as "institutionally racist," damning Feltham's staff for "failing in their duty of care toward prisoners," and sympathising with the family of Zahid Mubarek, who was beaten to death by his white "racist" cellmate.

She also signed 5 EDMs which commemorating Stephen Lawrence.

However, she never mentioned the death of Denis Finnegan in her constituency, nor did she ever sign an EDM commemorating him.

In fact, she has never mentioned any of the many other indigenous Britons murdered by Blacks and Asians in Britain since the time of Stephen Lawrence's death, nor has he ever signed an EDM commemorating any of them.   

Tony Colman, New Labour MP for Putney, never mentioned his constituent, Denis Finnegan, in the Commons either. 

In fact, Colman has never signed an EDM commemorating any of the many other indigenous Britons murdered by first and second-generation immigrants, since Stephen Lawrence's death. (For Colman's PC credentials, go here and scroll down to the murder of Ann Cypher and Amanda Clarke)

This is John Barrett in "pop star" mode:

                                                       

This is Denis Finegan and the psycopathic wannabe who murdered him:

                                             

A few moments before he murdered Denis, Barrett had approached Simon Fowler, the singer with the group, Ocean Colour Scene, who was walking his dog in the park.

Barrett said "stay lucky" to the star.