Strangler to pocket thousands in benefits from secure unit after girlfriend's murder

A convicted killer who beat his girlfriend to death in her own car is set to pocket thousands of pounds in state handouts from behind the locked doors of a secure psychiatric unit, exposing a loophole which has outraged victims' families. Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, strangled 25-year-old Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche in a brutal attack fuelled by paranoia and heavy cannabis use. Convicted of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility, he avoided prison and was instead given a hospital order, leaving him free to claim up to £400 a month in universal credit.

Over years of detention, that could swell to £96,000 – all while taxpayers foot his bed, board and care. The injustice was laid bare this weekend, as The Telegraph revealed Tape's windfall eligibility. Unlike jailed inmates, those sectioned under the Mental Health Act are classed as "patients", not prisoners, preserving their welfare rights. Government data shows 2,745 serious offenders – including murderers and rapists – are milking the system, amassing savings for release.

Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche's mother, Linda, and uncle, Mr Westcarr, himself a former Department for Work and Pensions civil servant, branded it a "staggering injustice”.

Speaking ahead of a crunch meeting with Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden today, Mr Westcarr said: "As a grieving family, we feel utterly devastated and let down by the criminal justice system.

"The way in which the court proceedings were conducted has left us with the painful belief that the man who killed my niece has effectively got away with murder.

"He killed her in the most brutal way imaginable. Yet, because of what was deemed to be his mental health issues, he was not sent to prison but instead given a hospital order. He is no longer referred to as a killer – he is spoken of as a ‘patient’.

"To us, this is deeply wrong. It feels as though the memory of what he did, and the horror our family has endured, are being erased under a label of treatment and care."

The family's torment began last year when Westcarr-Sabaroche, planning to dump Tape, agreed to drive him to a bogus "plumbing job". He lured her to his home, where their one-year-old daughter slept inside. There, in the front seat of her car, Tape – an undiagnosed schizophrenic gripped by delusions – crushed her windpipe.

He then propped her corpse upright, cruised London for nearly two hours, bought fags, and texted her mate from her phone. Only after six agonising hours did he confess to his brother.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Freya Newbery imposed an indefinite hospital order under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act, citing Tape's "paranoid and persecutory delusions" that "substantially impaired" his control. The court heard he'd puffed cannabis since 2014, ignoring mental health warnings.

Mr Westcarr added: "As he has no living costs while hospitalised, this means that over the course of three or four years, he could accumulate a significant amount of taxpayers’ money – all while under a hospital order for taking an innocent life.

"By contrast, my sister, who lost her daughter in this horrific way, has had to become the sole carer for her granddaughter. She has had to fight at every step for even the most basic financial support from the Government and local authorities."

He continued: "How can it be right that a convicted killer can receive benefits and potentially leave hospital with a lump sum of money, while the victim’s family is left struggling to survive – emotionally and financially? This cannot be acceptable in any just or moral society.

"We are calling on the Government to urgently review and reform the policies that allow this to happen. At a time when ordinary people are being told that public finances are stretched and that services are under pressure, how can it be justified that someone who has committed such a heinous act should benefit in this way?

"This is not just about our family – it is about fairness, justice and respect for victims. Change must happen, and it must happen quickly."

The flaw was first highlighted after killer Valdo Calocane qualified for benefits after the Nottingham stabbings.

Campaigner Julian Hendy of Hundred Families, who has lobbied for reform, hailed the move: "It beggars belief that convicted killers and serious criminals on hospital orders should be getting state benefits whilst being detained, when their victims struggle so hard to get the help and assistance they need.

"We say this is money that could potentially save the Treasury many millions of pounds and be far better used to help victims who have been so terribly harmed."

Express.co.uk has approached the DWP for comment.