Murderer who decapitated teen and dumped physique components in bin bids for freedom
Stewart Michael Diamond was convicted for the brutal murder of 17-year-old Christopher Hartley in Blackpool in 1997 and has spent 28 years in a secure hospital
A killer who beheaded a teenager and dumped his body parts behind a Blackpool hotel is now bidding for freedom – despite never spending time in a traditional jail.
Stewart Michael Diamond, now 47, has spent virtually his entire 28-year life sentence locked up in a secure psychiatric facility. He had only been out of custody for three months in 1997 when he brutally throttled Christopher Hartley in a bedsit before chopping him up in the bathroom.
The 17 year old’s dismembered remains were found in a bin and sports bag behind the New Central Hotel on Reads Avenue. His head has never been found. Diamond was convicted of murder in January 1999 at Preston Crown Court and handed a life sentence.
He was branded an “extremely dangerous” paranoid schizophrenic and was sectioned to hospital in June 1999 under mental health laws and has stayed there ever since.
But a mental health tribunal has now granted him a conditional discharge – meaning he’s eligible for release having completed his sentence, the Mirror reports.
Parole Board papers – published after bosses rejected a public hearing – reveal: “He displayed numerous symptoms of psychosis from a young age as well as paranoid ideation. He spent many years in secure hospital conditions during which he completed numerous interventions to address his risk and mental health problems, eventually progressing to low secure rehabilitation and more independent living.”
The gruesome discovery of Christopher’s dismembered body sparked a massive manhunt involving over 100 officers across two countries, culminating in Diamond’s capture following an intensive police probe.
In 1999, he was handed a life sentence and told he must serve at least 17 years before being considered for parole. However, the court heard that if deemed too dangerous to the public, he may never be set free.
Adding to the torment endured by Christopher’s family, Diamond has never disclosed where he disposed of the missing body parts. The detective who spearheaded the investigation described the murder – for which no motive was ever established – as profoundly shocking.
In 1999, Det Supt Paul Buschini, from Lancashire Police’s Major Investigation Team, stated “Diamond never admitted anything so we never had a motive. It was regrettable he made no admissions, never showed any remorse and never assisted us in recovering the missing body parts.
“That would have helped the family through the terrible time they faced.”
The investigation hinged on a single fingerprint, marked with Christopher’s blood, found on a stool leg in Diamond’s Park Road flat. No other evidence linked the two – they were not acquainted and there was no clear motive for the murder.
Det Supt Buschini added: “We had very little in the way of a motive or suspect and we conducted many hundreds of inquiries in the local areas, everything from door-knocking to speaking to tourists and local businesses.
“As a result of our inquiries, we focused our attentions on Diamond, who had fled to Ireland. We contacted the Garda (the Irish police) and they kept an eye on him for us while we put together our case. Eventually we had enough to extradite Diamond, charge him and put him forward for trial.
“It was a difficult inquiry at the time for lots of reasons. A lot of effort went into this because it was certainly a large scale inquiry and it was satisfying to see it come to an end with justice done.”
