Man who killed partner in car then confessed to brother is detained under Mental Health Act

Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche. Photograph: gofundme

A man who killed his partner in a car in Hackney and drove her body around before confessing to his brother hours later has been sentenced to a hospital order.

Gogoa Lois Tape, of Marsworth House, Haggerston, killed Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche on the evening of 5 April last year.

Ms Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche was found dead in her car in Whiston Road on 6 April, having been strangled.

Her death was caused by “manual compression to the neck”, Inner London Crown Court previously heard.

The 25-year-old had also been punched several times and had other wounds suggesting she tried to defend herself from a knife attack.

The following morning, Mr Tape confessed to his brother.

On Monday 1 September, he was handed a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act with an additional restriction order under Section 41.

This means the 29-year-old could potentially be detained indefinitely.

Mr Tape had previously admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and carrying a knife on Tuesday, 17 December at Inner London Crown Court.

Detained under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act: Gogoa Tape, 29, of Marsworth House, Haggerston. Photograph: Metropolitan Police

The court heard that following a number of assessments, psychiatrists concluded Mr Tape was suffering from paranoid and persecutory delusions arising from schizophrenia at the time of the killing.

Detective Inspector Aytac Necati from the Specialist Crime North team, who led the police investigation, said:

“This is a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with Kennedi’s family and friends as they continue to process what happened.

“This young woman’s life was cruelly cut short.”

How Gogoa Tape was caught

A combination of CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and car tracker evidence showed that the Mr Tape travelled on public transport to meet Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche in the Bruce Grove area on the evening of Friday 5 April.

Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche drove the Mr Tape around the local area before ending back in the Whiston Estate.

The investigation team gathered from long-distance CCTV that Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche’s vehicle was parked in Talavera Place.

Mr Tape was seen getting out the car and walking away before returning.

Officers saw him on CCTV standing next to the car, and then bending forward and lunging into the car for around eight minutes.

It was during this time, at around 11:25am, that the police concluded that Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche was killed.

The footage showed he was the last person to be with Ms Kennedi inside the car.

The court heard, despite having access to Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche’s phone as well as his own, Tape did not call for help.

In a key witness account, the police learnt that Mr Tape had confessed to his brother that he had killed Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche.

It was Mr Tape’s brother who then checked the car and reported the incident to police at 6:42am on Saturday 6 April.

Mr Tape was arrested at the scene and made significant unprompted comments to officers.

A kitchen knife was also found inside the car.

Mr Tape was charged with Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche’s murder the following day, Sunday 7 April.