Escort Michael Brennan murder conviction overturned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-29878817

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A male escort jailed for life for murdering an antiques dealer has had his conviction overturned.

Michael Brennan, 24, was told he would serve at least 22 years for killing Paul Simons in Chelmsford last December.

He lured the 54-year-old to a flat where he stabbed him repeatedly.

Court of Appeal judges decided his conviction should be reduced to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.

Brennan is yet to be re-sentenced.

During his trial, Chelmsford Crown Court heard the body of Mr Simons, from Bushey in Hertfordshire, was found at a flat in Moulsham Street in the early hours of 4 May 2013.

Brennan, who is described as having a complex multiple personality disorder, had written a plan to kill Mr Simons, which police found on a laptop.

It described how he would stab his victim before fleeing to hide in the countryside.

The Court of Appeal heard Brennan had previously been admitted to the Linden Centre mental health unit in Chelmsford.