Islamic convert boasted about murdering Catholic, carried Quran, yelled ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’
I don’t blog every case of a crime committed by a Muslim. Lots of crimes get committed every day; some of them are nasty, the convicted are all sorts (but Muslims do feature in the courts and prisons beyond their percentage of the population). But this one is notable because of the way it is reported in the Indian press, the Irish press (the murdered man was an Irish national) and the British press (the murder took place in London)
Irish newspaper Sunday World said
Leo Pryce, 22, admitted manslaughter, two counts of assault of an emergency worker and having an article with a blade or point
An Islamic convert horrified staff at the local mosque by showing them a film he had made of a devout Catholic’s body after he stabbed him to death, court heard. The body of James ‘JJ’ Donnelly, 45, was found by his elderly aunt with slash wounds to his neck and a crucifix laid on his chest, the Old Bailey heard.
Following evening prayers at the Darussalam Masjid Mosque on the evening of the killing, Pryce told staff about the killing and showed them a video on his phone. He told workers at the mosque that talented musician Mr Donnelly was a ‘Kafir’ or infidel and a ‘Dajjal’ or anti-christ.
Some of the staff recorded him talking about the killing, and that they had passed those clips to the police when they alerted police at 2.45am the following morning
When police arrested Pryce in his car at around 3.30am on 16 July, they found a ‘cleaver-type knife’ and a copy of the Quran next to him on the passenger seat.
He was parked in a car park on Hayes Road, near the mosque . . . ‘He was removed from the car but resisted arrest, causing Tasers to be deployed. He was heard saying “Allahu Akbar”, “God is great”, repeatedly.’
Counsel for the Prosecution said that after being brought to Acton Custody Suite he seemed ‘agitated’, and rocked back and forth reciting verses from the Quran.
Pryce said he had met Mr Donnelly in Asda when he was busking at Asda and tried to convince him to convert to Islam . . . But he denied entering the victim’s home and said ‘he would not have touched a crucifix because it’s a symbol of idolatry.’
Op India said
On 15th July 2023, a dedicated Irish catholic man identified as James Donnelly, 45, was brutally murdered by a 22-year-old Islamic convert identified as Leo Pryce for being a ‘kafir’. The accused back then was reported to have carried a Quran and yelled ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’ while murdering the victim in West London. He shot the video and also boasted about the murder to the workers of the Darussalam Masjid Mosque which he had visited immediately after murdering the victim.
The killer shouted: “Allahu Akbar” as police used tasers to arrest him.
The Old Bailey Court in London on 29th February 2024 pronounced punishment to the accused in the case who admitted to manslaughter. Pryce denied murder on the basis of diminished responsibility due to his mental health, and his pleas were accepted.
Donnelly, from County Tipperary, fought in the Irish Army and was a member of Ireland’s UN Peacekeeping Force. He found peace in his faith and led group visits to the Lourdes shrine.
The Lawyers website Court News UK did mention the conversion to Islam in both their tweet and headline (and were criticised for it) but as I am not a subscriber I don’t know how much detail they gave to the professionals who will consult it.
The London Evening Standard and My London both completely ignored the conversion, the quran, the involvment of the mosque in his arrest (surely a chance to show a mosque in a good light, helping the police with their enquiries, albeit the murderer was a convert not a cousin) and the Allah Akbar – I have killed a kafir. Their only concern was the undiagnosed mental illness.
A man who admitted killing a new friend has been given a hospital order because of his undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Leo Pryce, 22, entered a plea of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey, which was accepted before his sentence was handed down on Thursday.
The trial heard how Pryce had befriended his victim James Donnelly . . . Police were called that morning and found Mr Donnelly had “been the victim of a sustained assault and had suffered stab injuries”.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb said: “I would like to thank the witnesses that provided accounts to police as this allowed us to establish what had taken place and to arrest Pryce at the earliest opportunity, safeguarding the public. This highlights the importance of our relationship with our communities…”
Both of those reports largely follow the Metropolitan Police news release.
Too scared. or too cowed to mention the ‘M’ factor.