'˜Satan' killer's battle to overturn verdict

Robert Kay, who claimed to be the son of Satan. was sentenced to life in prison last year after attacking dad-of-three Ian Dollery in front of his family in St Annes.

He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, saying he had been suffering a psychotic episode when he killed the 51-year-old in his garage in York Road, but was later found guilty of murder.

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Kay, a long term drug user who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, took his fight to the Court of Appeal last week with a judgement expected in due course.

If he loses, Kay, who stabbed his victim 30 times in a random and unprovoked attack, must serve the rest of his sentence — which includes a minimum jail term of 23 years.

He was convicted last July by a jury who found his psychotic state was drug-induced, and Kay, then 49 and of no fixed address, had voluntarily taken amphetamines, which triggered his psychosis, on the day he killed Mr Dollery at his £450,000 home.

Judge Brown said at the time: “Although you have a long standing mental illness you have failed to co-operate with the mental health services over the years and have continued to take drugs despite knowing they are bad for you.

“At the time of the killing you had taken a lot of amphetamines after others had warned you about that drug and appreciating its effect on you.” Mr Dollery’s wife Andrea and daughter Grace interrupted the brutal attack and fought Kay off, but he died in hospital in the early hours of June 19, 2015.

They later criticised health experts after Kay’s schizophrenia - which was only diagnosed after he was detained at a secure hospital - was missed ‘time and time again’.

They said it took ’13 months for the judicial system to confirm that our father and husband was murdered by a man with a mental illness that was undiagnosed and untreated for over 20 years’.

“It’s impossible to sum up Ian in a few short sentences,” they added.

“He was our husband, our father, and we miss him every second of every day.

“He was a kind, gentle, compassionate man who loved life and avoided confrontation — truly ‘one of the good guys’.”