Richard Steven Williams is guilty of manslaughter in the death of 67-year-old Maureen Parker -- not her murder, his lawyer told a Supreme Court jury yesterday.

Mark Pettingill made the claim during closing arguments in Williams' trial yesterday. The case is expected to go to the jury today after Puisne Judge Norma Wade completes her summing up.

Williams, 25, of Ord Road, Paget has pleaded not guilty to the murder of the bed-ridden woman -- who suffered from severe arthritis -- on September 27.

On Tuesday, the five-man, seven-woman jury was told that Williams had told Police that he broke into Mrs. Parker's house and suffocated her with a pillow after attempting to rape her.

Yesterday, Mr. Pettingill maintained that Williams suffered from an "abnormality of the mind''.

Citing testimony given by ex-consultant psychiatrist at St. Brendan's Hospital Gavin Tennant, Mr. Pettingill said there was clear evidence of abnormality.

Dr. Tennant had testified that Williams was on the borderline between being an odd person and having a formal mental illness.

But there were not sufficient features to categorise Williams as mentally ill, Dr. Tennant added, although it would not surprise him if his mental illness developed some day.

He said tests showed Williams had borderline subnormal intelligence but no significant abnormalities such as tumours or epilepsy.

And he added that Williams had told him that angels and devils tried to influence his thinking and that he had he had seen "Jah'' who spoke to him.

Dr. Tennant also noted that Williams' background and development showed he had grown bitter towards life, which he felt had been unkind to him since he was born.

He also pointed out that Williams had few friends, no regular girlfriend and bore a grudge against women in general which he said was compounded later on by an unpleasant sexual experience.

This social withdrawal, continued Dr. Tennant, was not uncommon with the development of mental illness.

"It is not easy to say absolutely when dealing with the mind that he (Williams) has an abnormality,'' Mr. Pettingill said . "But we can draw inferences.

"Richard Williams has accepted responsibility for this,'' he said. "He accepts the fact that he's guilty of manslaughter.'' But Attorney General Elliott Mottley reminded the jury that Mrs. Parker's death occurred while Williams was carrying out the "unlawful acts'' of burglary and attempted rape.

Mr. Mottley also said there was no evidence that Williams suffered from any brain injury.

"It was a conscious decision on his part to stop looking for money and to sexually assault Maureen Parker,'' he added.

On Tuesday, witnesses said Williams told Police that he left the Spinning Wheel on September 27 on his pedal cycle after he had been drinking and broke into the Middle Road, Devonshire home where Mrs. Parker lived alone.

Williams said he entered the house -- which he had never visited before -- through an open, rear window and began searching for money in the dark.

He said he searched Mrs. Parker's bedroom where he saw her asleep on the bed.

But when he could not find any money, Williams told Police he tried to have intercourse with her.

When Mrs. Parker woke up screaming, he grabbed a nearby pillow and held it over her face for a few minutes until she stopped moving.

Williams said he then fled from the house and rode home on his bike.

"It happened real fast,'' Williams said in a Police statement read out earlier in court.

"I don't care what anyone thinks. I didn't mean to kill her.'' Puisne Judge Norma Wade will deliver her summation this morning and the case is expected to go to the jury by noon.