Man detained for killing angler at Sheffield fishing lake

A man with paranoid schizophrenia will spend the rest of his life in hospital after killing a man who was fishing at a lake in South Yorkshire.

Father-of-three Kevin Hodkinson, 50, died in hospital after being found at the site off Herries Road in Shirecliffe on 16 June 2022.

Kieran Hayes, 34, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Sheffield Crown Court.

At a hearing on Friday, the Recorder of Sheffield Jeremy Richardson said Hayes remained a risk to the public.

The court heard that Mr Hodkinson was a keen angler who had competed for England and would often fish at Oxspring Dam lake after work.

On 16 June 2022 he had been at the site at about 21:25 BST when he was approached by Hayes, who asked him if he could also fish at the lake.

The court heard that Hayes had already been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had used crack cocaine earlier in the day.

He began to hallucinate that Mr Hodkinson was another person who he wrongly believed had assaulted his mother, the hearing was told, and he then pushed him into the lake and drowned him.

Hayes was seen acting strangely by another man, who then called the police.

Officers waded into the lake to find Mr Hodkinson and attempted to save his life but he died later that night in hospital.

Hayes was arrested on suspicion of murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility.

A victim impact statement written by Mr Hodkinson’s brother and read out in court described the family’s “shock and horror” at his death.

“He was fishing in the peace and tranquillity of a local private fishing pond, a place of serenity, doing something he loved with a passion,” he said.

He described Mr Hodkinson as a “devoted father, uncle and granddad”.

“He was his children’s guiding light. He was a great father, he was their rock. He was incredibly kind and caring to his family and friends.”

The court heard that Hayes had been assessed by three doctors and that he had been suffering from psychosis and serious mental illness at the time of the attack.

Judge Richardson said Hayes’ drug use may have contributed to his violence but that his mental illness was the main reason for his actions.

He said Hayes remained an “extremely dangerous individual”.

“My paramount concern in this case is the protection of the public,” he said.

“At present I cannot envisage the circumstances where it would ever be safe to release him from the hospital environment.”

Sentencing Hayes, he told him he had killed a “thoroughly decent and innocent man” and had caused “immense devastation to his loving family”.

Hayes was given an indefinite hospital order under Section 37 and Section 41 of the Mental Health Act.