STAFFORDSHIRE MAN JAILED FOR KILLING PRIEST AT HOSPITAL
A man has been sentenced to prison following the death of Father Oliver Kemp, a priest from Stone, who was killed during an attack outside a hospital in Staffordshire.Joseph Phillips, age 33, was responsible for injuring Father Kemp fatally after becoming aggressive at Stafford’s County Hospital last year.
He confessed to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to seven years and one month in custody.
Stafford Crown Court was told police responded to an assault just before 8pm on February 17, 2021.
Father Kemp, aged 82 and residing in Stone, was a patient transferred from Stafford to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, where he died from his injuries on February 23, 2021.
Staffordshire Police’s Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Hannan commented, “This was a tragic incident for all involved.
Our thoughts remain with those that knew and loved Father Kemp.” Recognized across North Staffordshire as a retired parish priest, Father Kemp lived at Aston Hall and previously served at St John's RC Church in Chesterton and St Bernadette's RC Church in Fegg Hayes.
Police have withheld a photograph of Phillips.
Following his guilty plea, an official spokesman for the Archdiocese of Birmingham expressed condolences, saying, “We pray for the soul of Father Oliver Kemp and for all who mourn him.
His passing in such tragic circumstances saddens us deeply.
Fr Kemp was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, serving from his ordination in 1966 up to his retirement in 2004 across several parishes.
We pray that he rests in peace and ask for comfort for his loved ones and all impacted by his loss.”
