Prisoner killed his cellmate with a flat screen TV after smoking synthetic cannabis Spice
Jordan Palmer's savage attack after inhaling the 'legal high' drug left Terence Ojuderie 'unrecognisable'
A PRISONER who battered his cellmate to death with a flat screen TV while high on 'legal high' Spice has been found guilty of killing him.
Jordan Palmer, 26, savagely attacked 42-year-old inmate Terence Ojuderie, smashing the television in two over his body and leaving him "unrecognisable".
Palmer claimed he had involuntarily taken synthetic cannabis Spice on the night of the killing which had caused him to lose control of his actions.
He was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
During his two-and-a-half week trial a jury heard how Terry Ojuderie, from Watford, was attacked in his cell at HMP Peterborough on December 9 last year.
At about 1am, Terry's cell-mate Palmer rang a buzzer from his cell and told a prison officer he was feeling unwell.
The officer contacted a nurse and went to the cell to advise Palmer to drink some water and the nurse would be along shortly.
Twelve minutes later Palmer rang the intercom again, this time saying: "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened".
The prison officer returned to the cell to find Palmer standing covered in blood, with Terry lying on the floor with horrific injuries.
Despite efforts from paramedics, Terry was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination concluded he had died from blunt force trauma to his head and chest consistent with repeated punching, kicking and stamping.
Palmer, who was serving six years for grievous bodily harm, was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to Thorpe Wood Police Station.
Peterborough crown court heard the defendant initially refused to allow blood and urine tests to be taken in the aftermath of the assault.
His defence claimed this was because he was still suffering the ill affects of a drug-induced psychosis caused by the substance, which was made illegal in May.
Tests done later could not determine if Palmer had been under the influence of Spice at the time of the killing.
Abbas Lakha, defending, told the jury Palmer did not use Spice and had suffered a reaction to accidentally consuming some of Ojuderie's drugs either through passive smoking, picking up the wrong cigarette or having his cigarettes spiked.
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Mr Lakha said: "It is very difficult to know what the effects of the drug are - it is a chemical, and depends on the strength if it - and the strength changes regularly.
"If he was affected by it, what effect did it have? One affect could be he was not in control of his actions. The legal term for this is non-insane automatism.
"In the alternative, if the ingestion of Spice resulted in a drug induced psychosis - a recognised medical condition causing abnormality of mental function, the alternative would be manslaughter."
The court heard Palmer had not been adversely affected by Ojuderie's use of Spice in the previous three months they were locked up together.
Summing up the case, Judge David Farrell QC told a jury of five women and seven men: "You know Mr Ojuderie was the subject of a ferocious attack by the defendant.
"This is not disputed but you must draw conclusions based on the evidence you have heard whether this was as the defendant states because he was affected by involuntary ingestion of Spice.
"The prosecution claim this was just play acting devised to cover a deliberate act."
He added: "The prosecution say Palmer was angry having broken up with his girlfriend in the days before the incident, he was annoyed by Mr Ojuderie's use of Spice and disturbing his sleep, he simply lost his temper."
Palmer, who is continuing his sentence at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Bucks, will be sentenced tomorrow.
After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Gallop said: "The attack was one of the most vicious I have seen, and happened at a time when Terry Ojuederie was unable to defend himself or escape.
"I can only say as some small consolation that in all probability Terry would have lost consciousness very quickly.
"Very sadly, in this case, a man has lost his life and a family have lost a loved one. Our thoughts are with Mr Ojuederie's family and friends at this difficult time, and I commend them for the dignity and respect they have demonstrated through a very difficult court process."
Terry Ojuderie's family released a statement that said: "We believe the right verdict was reached today, although there was never going to be a happy outcome for us.
"Terry was brutally killed in a frenzied one-sided attack by his cellmate. Nothing can bring Terry back to us or take away the pain and devastation we are living with each day.
"We are left instead with an emptiness and the horror of his final moments as heard in detail during this murder trial.
"The realisation of how his life was ended tortures us daily and will never leave us."
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