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Schizophrenic killed father for 'disrespect to all rappers'
Peter Dominiczak03.06.09
A paranoid schizophrenic who battered his father to death had been given home leave from a psychiatric unit despite being assessed as a danger weeks before the killing.
Enrique Parada Castro, a 58-year-old Chilean exile and Spanish teacher, was struck so forcefully with a blunt instrument police thought he had been shot in the face.
His son, Omar Parada Blanco, later told doctors he did it after his father made comments about his low-slung jeans that showed "disrespect to all rappers".
Mr Parada Castro had been a student leader in Chile and fled to Britain in the Seventies after he was jailed for two years for his opposition to General Pinochet.
He became the head of modern languages at Hackney College and lived in Cricklewood.
Parada Blanco, who denied murder but admitted manslaughter, was admitted to the Park Royal centre for mental health in April 1998 when he was first diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, the Old Bailey heard.
It started a pattern of being treated in hospital before being discharged, failing to take his medication and launching unprovoked assaults on strangers.
On 9 November 2007 he went to hospital with a cut to his arm after smashing a television when he thought he heard voices coming from it, and he was sent back to Park Royal. David Jeremy QC, prosecuting, said: "It was considered that he posed a significant risk to others. His condition was unstable and at times threatening."
However he was let out overnight for Christmas and for a week over New Year. He travelled with his father to Cambridge to stay with a family friend but became "agitated" and they returned to the family home in Kingsbury on New Year's Day.
After an argument, he beat his father to death with a blunt instrument and stole his laptop, before returning to hospital as if nothing had happened.
The killer's mother was in Chile and his sister Victoria, 28, was in Ireland with her boyfriend at the time of the murder. The body was not discovered until they returned a few days later.
Judge Stephen Kramer adjourned sentencing until next month for further psychiatric reports to be prepared.
He will be locked up indefinitely for psychiatric treatment but the judge said he was considering ordering a life term in prison in the event he recovers from his mental illness.
Reader views (13)
Enrique Parada Castro was my friend, my university friend in Chile and my comrade.
Mental health is forever missunderstood, and as such it needs an effort from us to look at.
How far away ago are the years when the family visited at my in-laws in Angol, Chile. But life goes on. My heart is overwhelmed with sorrow. A kiss to Ximena, his wife, and Victoria; as well as Omar, that sweet kid I met. His behavior is not far from the ill stream of people, drug ridden society, now days.
- O F, Edmonton, Alberta
I'm sure he was "fine" as long as he was on his medication. That's the party line whenever one of these permanently broken people kills someone else.
Instead of coddling and understanding, lets try a little culling.
- Trunk, US
Stuart, no Franks rational is not obvious at all as he hasn’t provided any illustration as to what part Political Correctness or Human Rights have played in the story. As I say it is all too easy to give lazy rhetoric without substantiating it. However, obviously I need to bow down to the superior knowledge of someone who summarises their argument with “nuff said”.
- Nj, London
NJ. I was speaking on my behalf, merely surmising what Frank's rationale was. In fact, his point was a fairly obvious one (to some). However, I think I elaborated sufficiently. Nuff said.
- Stewart Slater, Sevenoaks
I believe that connection to p.c. thought is the notion
that people must be punished for lack of approval. People
no longer have the right to disapprove.
- Jetmpls, MplsMn USA
Care in the community has saved a few pence but has cost many lifes.
- Ge, Cornwall
I hope the person who let him out is sacked. It's high time public sector workers were held responsible for their actions.
- Alan In Bow, London
Alan: Not a chance in hell of that happening. The energy that these workers will put into covering their backs, will be 100 times the energy that they gave in consideration to Omar.
- Reay, London
Stewart; how much does Frank pay you for speaking on his behalf? I agree with Glenn, I really cannot see what this has to do with Human Rights or Political Correctness, it is far to easy to throw in a lazy anti-PC/ Human Rights comment without explanation or justification.
- Nj, London
I believe Frank was criticising a misguided softly-softly approach to dealing with the criminally insane, which have involved letting unsuitable people out into the "community" where they, tragically, do things like this. They need to be locked up for their the sake of others.
- Stewart Slater, Sevenoaks, Kent.
"The result of Political Correctness and 'uman Rights"
This is a tragic story. Perhaps Frank would be able to elaborate how political correctness and human rights were responsible for this horrendous turn of events.
- Glyn, Hackney
I hope the person who let him out is sacked. It's high time public sector workers were held responsible for their actions.
- Alan In Bow, London
Yet again I am going to comment on the disgraceful neglectful 'care' provided by the NHS to people with severe mental health problems. My mother suffers paranoid schizophrenia and is unaware of her actions whilst psychotic and yet she has been repeatedly failed by the NHS over the last 30 years - never more so than in the recent past. Delusional people do NOT KNOW what they are doing. They cannot legally be held culpable for their actions. They are VICTIMS and PERPETRATORS of horrific crimes. This is a tragedy for everyone involved and their families - not least of which the person who has committed the crime. Thanks to the recent changes to the Mental Health Act, more and more psychotic people are going to be failed. Local Authorities MUST be held responsible to their Duty of Care for delusional and psychotically ill persons. At the present time, they have devolved that responsibility to a higher level than ever before. 'Care in the Community' is NOT appropriate for exceptionally vulnerable severely ill people. They should no be able to roam freely, given 'days out' or left in their own homes. They can and do commit violence, murders, crimes, which destroy lives. They are also (in my mum's case) the victims of rape, sexual assaults, drug pushers, violence, robbery, and every type of violation imaginable. They also are more likely to BE murdered. My family and my siblings life have been destroyed by this illness. How many more??? It has to STOP - NOW!!! 
- Real, London
The result of Political Correctness and 'uman Rights.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
