Tanaiste asked to intervene in England after Irish man stabbed to death

A Limerick family has been left living in “torment” after a review into the decision not to hold an inquest for their beloved brother and son, who was knifed to death in Manchester, was refused.

Father-of-two Tom Murphy (pictured below), aged 42, from Ballyagran, died after he was stabbed 34 times with a kitchen knife by Stephen Owusu, 23, in a row about a broken plate in a shared rented house in September 2022.

“All we want is an inquest to get answers. I’m a believer in the seven Ws - What, When, Where, How, Who, Which and Why - and then we’ll see. We’ve been left living in torment,” said his younger brother Darragh in an interview with the Limerick Leader.

Minister of State Niall Collins has written to Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin, asking him to engage with the UK Government through the Irish Ambassador and Consular Service in England and ask for an inquest into the death of Tom Murphy to be held.

Darragh spoke of the family’s “disgust” at the treatment by authorities in the UK and said “justice has not been served”.

In the following days, weeks and months after Tom’s death, the family tried to find out as much as they could about what happened.

“We started asking questions. The Greater Manchester Police said they couldn’t really tell us because if it got into the media it would jeopardise the case.

“We asked why did the man kill him and they said they believed it was over a broken plate. We were told all the questions we have will be answered at the inquest when the hearing was over,” said Darragh.

Darragh said the family wasn't consulted when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the English equivalent of the DPP, decided to drop a murder charge and accept a plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility - paranoid schizophrenia.

At the court case in October 2023, a judge imposed a hospital order on Owusu. He was sent to a secure hospital indefinitely for treatment for his mental health disorder instead of going to jail.

A week later they learned there will be no inquest held into Tom’s horrific death in Manchester. He had lived and worked in the telecommunications industry in the UK for over 20 years.

Darragh hired a solicitor to make a case for the decision not to hold an inquest to be reviewed. 

He was informed in recent weeks it was refused.

Local TD Niall Collins said it is very hard to comprehend why there hasn’t been an inquest.

“In Ireland, inquests are held in cases of sudden, unexplained or violent death of a person. Tom Murphy was stabbed 34 times. From speaking to the Murphy family, they have many unanswered questions.

“The least the Murphy family deserve is an inquest into Tom’s terrible death, where they can ask the questions that remain to be answered and hopefully get some small bit of closure,” said Mr Collins, who has written to Tanaiste Micheal Martin about the case.

The Murphy family have a number of questions regarding Owusu’s previous treatment for mental health difficulties and if Tom’s death could have been prevented.

They drew parallels with the Nottingham Attacks where Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates were killed by Valdo Calocane in June 2023. 

Last month, Panorama investigated his history of mental ill health, the care he received in the three years before the Nottingham attacks and asked what lessons can be learned. Like Owusu, Calocane was given a hospital order after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility.

Darragh said it emerged in Owusu’s court case he tried to attack his mum, before threatening to kill her while brandishing a knife. Police were called and officers attended. Owusu was referred to Derbyshire's “Crime Diversion Scheme'”.

Later, Owusu turned violent towards his dad. Owusu was cautioned by cops, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Darragh said one of a number of questions the Murphy family have is how Owusu, who believed voices in his head were “talking to each other”, was allowed free in the community and rent a room in a four-bed shared house in Manchester. That is when he met Tom Murphy. Two months later, Owusu would kill him because he thought Tom had broken his plate.

Darragh said Tom told him on the phone prior to his death that he had concerns over Owusu, who he said had directed a racial slur against Tom.

“I remember the day of that conversation because it was the day the Queen died. He had rang my mam. I came into the kitchen and she put me onto him,” recalled Darragh.

He says the family do not accept the manslaughter verdict and would like him to serve his time in a normal prison.

“It would be the only thing that would give us comfort to think that the youngster would be amongst his own,” said Darragh.

He concluded by speaking about the anger they feel at being let down by authorities.

“All we want is an inquest to ask the questions that remain unanswered,” said Darragh.