Family concerns over mental health of Delroy Forrester

Jasmine Forrester died in the early hours of February 9, following the ‘frenzied and sustained attack’ with a broken table leg by her great-uncle Delroy Forrester at a home in Kent Road.

He had later stated ‘the devil had to die’.

Forrester, who appeared via video-link from Ashworth Hospital, in Liverpool, denies murdering Jasmine on the basis that he was “legally insane” at the time of the killing.

The jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court was told yesterday through a number of statements read out that various family members had raised concerns about 51-year-old Forrester’s mental health in the days leading up to the killing and had encouraged him to go to the hospital.

His daughter, Tyler, was angry her father was not in hospital on February 8 and had called the crisis team at Penn Hospital hours before the incident to ask for help.

After saying they could not assist her father, she said: “You’d better make sure he doesn’t kill my nan tonight.”

She had also called the 111 emergency helpline earlier that day for help and advice, and they told her they couldn’t help if he wasn’t with her or had given her permission to talk to them, the court heard.

Other family members raised concern of his strange behaviour, after he referred to his dead father as ‘god’ and his son Myles as the ‘devil’ - stating Forrester had never been a religious person.

Nephew Steven James said he had never had any concerns about Forrester’s mental health or behaviour until the evening of February 4 - approximately four days before the incident.

He said: “I received a call at around 10.30pm and he asked me if he was going mad. He said the television was giving him messages to contact a woman.

“I saw him the following day and I brought up the conversation the previous night and he got aggravated. He kept saying it was all a conspiracy.

“On February 6, at nan’s house he said to me did I know grandad was god.”

Beverley Summers, an ex-partner of Forrester and mother of two of his children, said: “Myself and daughter Tyler went to his flat to check on him on February 6 at about 10.30pm. He was ok, calm and quiet - but also seemed down and depressed. He said he had a dirty heart and kept talking about vans parked outside, that weren’t there.

“The following day I managed to get him an emergency appointment at Pendeford Health Centre, but he refused to leave the house.

“On February 8, I felt really frustrated that we were missing the chance to get him help. I urged his brother David to get him to hospital.

“Other than those recent mental health problems, he never showed any other signs. Nothing I can think of would have triggered all this.”

Brother David Forrester said: “As far as I know he has no history of mental health. He had not been feeling himself in the days before.

“At mom’s house, he pointed at a picture of dad on the wall and asked mom if she knew who it was. He said it was god. He was also making quotes from the bible - he was not a religious man and he said he did not know how he knew the scriptures.

“On the Wednesday, Beverley called me telling me to take him to Penn Hospital but he refused to go.

"On the Thursday he said there was nothing wrong with him. Beverley and Tyler told me to make sure he goes to hospital but I said I could not make him go.

“I was staying at my girlfriend’s that night, I did not have any reason to think anything would happen otherwise I would have stayed at the house.

“I feel some blame for not taking him to hospital because he would not go and I could not force him.”

Nathaniel Forrester, his nephew, added: “On February 6 he told me he was not right.

“He said he saw the devil the night before, and he told me his son Myles was the devil. He said Myles was the devil and Tyler was an angel.”

The jury was also told he had phoned his ex-partner Clare Lewis and mother of his youngest son on February 7 where he told her he was trying to sort out ‘demons’ in his head.

He said that his eldest son, Myles, was the devil and said that he hadn't felt like this before.

Forrester, formerly of Lower Villiers Street, in Blakenhall, pleads not guilty to murder.

The trial continues.