Overview

• Inner London Crown Court imposed a Section 37 hospital order with a Section 41 restriction after Tape admitted manslaughter and possessing a bladed article.
• Prosecutors said Westcarr-Sabaroche died from manual compression to the neck and had blunt-force injuries and wounds consistent with defending against a knife.
• Evidence presented included CCTV and accounts that Tape moved her to the passenger seat, drove around, bought cigarettes, sent a message from her phone, and confessed to his brother about six and a half hours later.
• Judge Freya Newbery said Tape was suffering paranoid and persecutory delusions that substantially impaired judgment and self-control, with the court hearing of long-term cannabis use and mental health decline in 2023.
• Family members denounced the decision as unjust, called for an urgent review for undue leniency, and criticized what they described as poor transparency and limited voice for victims.