Life in jail for murder of 'kind' retiree

A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been given the mandatory sentence of life in prison for murdering a “thoughtful, charitable and generous" retiree who had taken both the defendant and his mother into his home after learning of their struggles with homelessness.

- BY RYAN DUNNE

In April, a jury at the Central Criminal Court unanimously rejected the defence's claim that Brian Ibe was entitled to a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity and convicted him of the murder of Peter Kennedy, who had just turned 65 and was retired from the probation services.

A consultant psychiatrist had said the first time Ibe reported hearing voices in his head was over a year after he was remanded in custody, on the same day his awareness of the possibility of the special verdict was first documented.