Sekai Miles, 23, killed Bernard Fowler in a frenzied attack while suffering a psychotic episode
In one of East London’s most horrifying crimes in recent memory, 87-year-old Bernard Fowler was murdered in cold blood by 23-year-old Sekai Miles outside Harold Wood station. The shocking, frenzied assault saw the retired mechanic beaten with his own walking stick, stamped on, and left for dead as Miles gouged at his eye during a psychotic breakdown.
The Old Bailey heard chilling details of the attack, which unfolded in the early hours of February 27 last year. Mr Fowler, a beloved pensioner known for collecting newspapers for his local community, had no idea that a casual early morning errand would be his last. Miles, fuelled by untreated paranoid schizophrenia and the synthetic drug spice, saw in him a delusional target.
The court was told how Miles launched the unprovoked and savage assault, beating Fowler repeatedly with his cane before using his boot to crush his head. In an especially gruesome moment, Miles gouged the elderly man’s eye — an act that prosecutors described as emblematic of the killer’s complete descent into psychosis.
After the attack, Miles was seen fleeing the scene while still clutching the bloodied walking stick like a macabre trophy. He was later detained by police and charged with manslaughter by diminished responsibility. Psychiatrists confirmed that Miles was in the grip of a severe mental health episode, believing he was acting out a warped religious mission.
During sentencing, the judge ruled that Miles posed an ongoing threat to public safety and ordered his indefinite detention in a secure hospital. The decision means he will only be released when medical professionals are confident he no longer poses a danger — a prospect that may never come.
Embed from Getty Images“This was a savage and unrelenting attack on a vulnerable and defenceless man,” the judge said. “Your actions were driven by delusions and psychosis, but the result was nonetheless a brutal and senseless killing.”
The case has sparked a wider debate about the UK’s mental health services, especially in relation to early intervention and community support. Miles had a history of psychological issues, and questions are now being asked about whether this tragedy could have been prevented had he received adequate treatment and supervision.
Community members in Harold Wood have expressed both grief and fear following the murder. Many have left flowers near the scene, while others call for greater visible policing and improved mental health outreach programmes.
Fowler’s family, devastated by the loss, described him as a “gentle and generous man” who always looked out for his neighbours. “He didn’t deserve this,” one relative said tearfully outside court. “He was kind and simple in his ways. To die like that… it’s unspeakable.”
This tragic case exposes a deeply troubling gap between mental health crises and public safety, particularly when it involves untreated conditions and substance abuse. It also highlights the vulnerability of the elderly, many of whom feel increasingly unsafe in urban settings.
As East London mourns Bernard Fowler, his name becomes not just a symbol of senseless violence, but also a call to action — to invest in the support systems that might have spared him, and to ensure that no one else walks alone into such danger.
