Man Hospitalized After Fatal Stabbing

Julian Donoher, 51, has been given a hospital order after admitting to the manslaughter of 82-year-old Gerard Ring, who died three days after being stabbed outside his home in Derby on September 6, 2025. Donoher pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility at Derby Crown Court.

Ring, a retired builder and a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, was in his front garden when the attack occurred. He was originally from Dublin and had been living with incurable blood cancer for nearly a decade. His youngest daughter, Sapphire Greatorex, described him as a "giant of a man" who was "very reliable, very moral, who worked very hard but was generous with his time, generous with helping other people."

Following the stabbing, Donoher told neighbors he had "killed the paedophile," a claim the prosecution stated was "unambiguously" untrue and a result of delusional beliefs. Donoher also harbored the delusion that police had instructed him to "take out wrong 'uns" and that he had already killed 66 people.

During his arrest, Donoher exhibited erratic behavior. Mental health reports indicated that his delusions were primarily caused by schizoaffective disorder. He had a history of offenses, predominantly involving dishonesty and minor violence, as well as drug use. Records show he had consumed cocaine, amphetamines, and Mamba prior to the attack, which likely contributed to his delusions. He had not taken his prescribed mental health medication for nine months before the incident.

In a victim impact statement read in court, Ring's eldest daughter, Tracey Ring, called the attack "vile, savage, inhumane." The judge, in sentencing Donoher to an indefinite hospital order with restrictions to protect the public, stated that Donoher had "brutally and repeatedly stabbed" Ring "not once caring what you had done."

The judge emphasized that there is "no price on a human life" and that while nothing could bring Mr. Ring back, the most suitable course of action was a hospital order due to the serious harm Donoher poses.