On 15th July 2023, a dedicated Irish catholic man identified as James Donnelly, 45, was brutally murdered by a 22-year-old Islamic convert identified as Leo Pryce for being a ‘kafir’. The accused back then was reported to have carried a Quran and yelled ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’ while murdering the victim in West London. He shot the video and also boasted about the murder to the workers of the Darussalam Masjid Mosque which he had visited immediately after murdering the victim.
The Old Bailey Court in London on 29th February 2024 pronounced punishment to the accused in the case who admitted to manslaughter. During the hearing on Thursday (29th February), the court affirmed that the accused had boasted about the murder to the mosque workers and had shown them the recorded video of the murder.
“An Islamic convert alarmed workers at a local mosque by boasting about a video he had shot of a dedicated Catholic’s body after stabbing him to death. The body of James Donnelly, 45, was discovered by his elderly aunt with slash marks on his neck and a cross on his chest in July 2023,” the court noted.
As per the reports, the accused, Leo Pryce, 22, admitted to manslaughter, charges of assaulting emergency personnel, and possessing a weapon or point. He told mosque staff that Donnelly, a brilliant musician, was a ‘Kafir’ (infidel) and a ‘Dajjal’ (anti-christ). The killer also yelled “Allahu Akbar” as police used weapons to arrest him.
However, Pryce contested the murder, claiming diminished culpability owing to his mental state, and his pleas were accepted. Donnelly, from County Tipperary, fought in the Irish Army and was a member of Ireland’s UN Peacekeeping Force. He found peace in his faith and led group visits to the Lourdes shrine. Last summer, police were called to his home on Station Road in Hayes, West London.
Here’s how James was murdered last year
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC stated in court that James Donnelly was originally from County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland. He had been living with his 87-year-old aunt, Winnie Corrigan, in Hayes for some years. On July 15, 2023, the accused murdered the victim at his Station Road address.
Winnie Corrigan discovered her nephew’s murdered body on the floor of his bedroom at around 9 am the next day. James was dressed and lying face up on his bedroom floor with a deadly knife wound across his neck. He was also stabbed in the eye.
A crucifix had been placed on his chest, and a knife was held in his left hand. Corrigan devastated, ran out into the street to inform a neighbor that her nephew had been slain, and then the police were called.
She told the court that Pryce, who had recently converted to Islam, was spotted in the victim’s garden at 12.45 am on the day of the murder, covered in a long white robe, and that his car was seen leaving the property at 7.40 am via Ring doorbell road.
He had been observed visiting the property in the weeks before the murder, and “it would appear that the defendant and James were relatively recent acquaintances.” Following evening prayers at the Darussalam Masjid Mosque on the day of the death, Pryce informed workers of the incident and showed them a video on his phone.
“The video depicted James Donnelly pinned to the floor with wounds to his neck, his eye, and his head,” Carberry said. “He was clearly deceased,” she added.
Copy of Quran was recovered from the accused
When the police were contacted at 2.45 am the next morning, some of the workers at the Mosque had videotaped the accused discussing the killing and had given those clips along to the cops.
In those clips, the defendant speaks about cutting the man’s throat and staring at his soul. He alludes to “Kafir,” which means infidel, and claims that the man has “one eye,” possibly referring to the stab wound to one of his eyes, and that he has “Kafir written on his forehead.”
He said he murdered the “Dajjal,” which means anti-Christ. He also branded James a “Shaitan,” which means evil spirit, and claimed that God was assisting and guiding him. The prosecutor stated that when police detained Pryce in his car at 3.30 am on July 16 last year, they discovered a ‘cleaver-type knife’ and a copy of the Quran next to him on the passenger seat.
The accused repeatedly uttered ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’
When police discovered him, he was sleeping in the driver’s seat of his car parked on Hayes Road near the mosque. Carberry went on to say, “He was removed from the car but resisted arrest, prompting the use of Tasers.” He was heard repeatedly uttering “Allahu Akbar” and “God is great”.
The prosecutor stated that after being taken to the Acton Custody Suite, he appeared ‘agitated’ and rocked back and forth while repeating Quranic passages. After being treated for minor injuries, he hit two officers in the head as they returned him to his cell.
She told the court that one of the cops “punched back in self-defense,” but described the defendant as easily dominating him with a degree of aggression he had never seen before.
Pryce claimed that he came across Donnelly at Asda when he was performing and tried to convince him to convert to Islam. He directed him to pray and drove him home in his car. However, he denied visiting the victim’s home and stated that ‘he would not have touched a crucifix since it’s a symbol of idolatry.
Carberry stated that Pryce was schizophrenic and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. “He continues to experience psychotic symptoms despite receiving treatment,” she stated “Experts unanimously conclude that but for his paranoid schizophrenia, he would not have carried out the brutal attack on James Donnelly.”
In a victim impact statement delivered in court, the victim’s sister, Fiona Ryan, stated, “We have had a son and brother taken from us before his time. The cruelty with which he was killed will leave a lasting impression on our thoughts and hearts.” She concluded by saying, “Our lives will never be the same again since James was taken from us.” All we seek is for the justice that JJ deserves.
Judgement by the Court
“The unopposed conclusion of the experts suggests there is an inextricable link between the defendant’s illness and the offenses. There is in my view a significant reduction in the need for punishment. If Pryce had not been ill he would not have committed these offences. This illness arose suddenly and without warning,” Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC was quoted as saying.
“I am satisfied you are suffering from a mental disorder, namely paranoid schizophrenia, and this disorder is of such a nature that makes it appropriate for you to be detained in hospital for medical treatment,” she added sentencing Pryce.
She also stated that due to the risk of significant harm he posed to the public, she was adding a further condition to the hospital order, which would require him to be closely watched if and when he appeared fit to be removed from the hospital. He has been put under an indefinite hospital order with restrictions under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Doctors now will determine when, if ever, he should be released.