Julian Donoher was given a hospital order after admitting manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for fatally stabbing neighbour Gerard Ring, 82.
An 82-year-old great-grandfather was fatally stabbed by his neighbour in a “vile, savage and inhumane attack” while sitting in his front garden. Perpetrator Julian Donoher, 51, concealed the weapon before departing the scene.
CCTV evidence shown at Derby Crown Court captured Julian Donoher, 51, advancing towards Gerard Ring as he sat outside his home, retrieving a blade from his pocket and commencing the assault on the great-grandfather.
In the footage, Mr Ring, who depended on a mobility scooter and had numerous children, could be heard crying out. His brave family members wept and gasped in the courtroom while viewing the distressing footage.
After the deadly stabbing, the defendant then made a completely false and delusional claim that he had “killed a paedophile” and would be considered “a legend in prison”.
Handing down a hospital order to Donoher, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “You have completely shattered the lives of Mr Ring’s family and they will never recover.”
He added: “They speak of their loss, what might have been, and the horror of what they went through. You brutally and repeatedly stabbed him and afterwards you put the knife in your pocket and walked away not caring about what you had done.”
Mark Heywood KC, prosecuting, portrayed Mr Ring as a deeply beloved and enthusiastic gardener, whom neighbours described as “such a pleasant man”. He outlined how Donoher, from his early twenties, had been a “long-standing user of cannabis and alcohol who later turned to heroin, cocaine and Mamba” and lived in close proximity to the victim.
The prosecution detailed how Mr Ring had been sitting outside his home in Whitecross Gardens, just off Kedleston Road, on the afternoon of 6 September 2025, reports Derbyshire Live. Mr Heywood stated: “At 2.55pm, Mr Donoher walked straight up to Mr Ring, who was seated, drew something from his pocket and began stabbing Mr Ring, ripping his head in the crook of his left arm as Mr Ring held his wrist as he did so.
“He made three more stabbing motions.”
The courtroom was shown CCTV footage documenting the savage attack. Mr Heywood went on: “Mr Ring managed to return inside his home, get inside and lock the door.
“He was still able to use his own phone to call 999 and explained to the operator he had been stabbed by a man he did not know.
“Five wounds were identified and he was conveyed to hospital where, despite the best efforts of the medics, he died at 6.30am on September 9.
“A neighbour asked Donoher what happened and he put his hands on her shoulders and said to her ‘I have killed a paedophile, don’t worry, darling, it’s alright’.
“It is right to say there is no truth at all in this suggestion, this was a delusional comment.”
Mr Heywood revealed that following his detention, Donovan first tried to blame another individual for the stabbing. He told police he anticipated being viewed as ‘a legend inside prison’ for murdering a paedophile.
“He said he had not taken any of his medication for about nine months,” Mr Heywood stated.
The prosecution revealed that three consultant psychiatrists had been commissioned to assess Donoher. He explained that all three professionals determined he was afflicted with a chronic mental illness, with two confirming a diagnosis of schizo-affected disorder.
One of the specialists observed that the killer’s consumption of illegal substances was “a significant contributing factor” to the incident.
All three practitioners advocated for a hospital order instead of imprisonment, allowing him to maintain treatment in the interests of public protection.
Tracey Ring, Mr Ring’s eldest daughter, said: “(This was a) vile, savage, inhumane attack you imposed on my daddy.
“No-one should ever have to watch the horror we did.”
His daughter Kelly Charles said: “My world and life will never be the same again. It is like I am numb, not with it, in a bubble looking out at a world I cannot be part of.
“It has affected me and my children in the most shocking and heartbroken way and I am going to suffer for the rest of my days.”
In her statement, daughter Sapphire Greatorex said: “The trauma of the past year has totally shattered my life. Since his death I feel devastated and have lost my purpose in life.”
Son Gerard Ring stated: “He was killed by a coward in his garden – his little spot of paradise where he should have been safe and sound.”
Donoher, from Whitecross Gardens, made a court appearance this week by video-link from a secure facility. While denying murder last week, he admitted to manslaughter based on diminished responsibility, which prosecutors accepted.
Mr Heywood observed that the accused possesses a lengthy criminal record spanning various offences.
Mr Ring’s death has inflicted double heartache upon Tracey Ring, his eldest daughter. Nearly two decades before the fatal stabbing, almost to the exact date, her daughter, mum-of-one Lisa Smedley, lost her life when struck by a speeding, reckless motorist while crossing Warwick Avenue in Derby.
The then 20-year-old was fatally wounded as she traversed the ring road mere days before her daughter Versace’s third birthday, who is now 24.
Ahsan Mushtaq, then 23 and residing on Fairfield Road in Normanton, received a four-year prison sentence and a decade-long driving ban after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
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