The murder of a 76-year-old woman by her granddaughter could not have been anticipated by mental health workers, an independent investigation has found.
Joanne Hussey battered Alzheimer’s sufferer Annie Garbutt to death in 2007.
Hussey, of Yeadon, Leeds, was sentenced to life in prison the following year.
The judge accepted that at the time of the killing Hussey was suffering from a mental illness, but her denial of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility was rejected by the jury at Leeds Crown Court.
An investigation into Hussey’s treatment concluded that there was no evidence the murder could have been foreseen.
The newly published report, which describes Hussey as Miss A, said: “We are absolutely clear there is no evidence that anyone involved with Miss A’s care and treatment could have anticipated that Miss A was capable of carrying out the murder of her grandmother.
“It is very unlikely that anything could have been done by trust staff that would have changed the course of events.”
Hussey, then 33, admitted manslaughter after being confronted by CCTV footage showing journeys to and from her grandmother’s home in Mirfield.
Sentencing her to at least 20 years in prison, Judge Scott Wolstenholme accepted Hussey was suffering from bipolar disease but said it was “striking” that she felt no remorse.
The independent report said the main focus of her care was treatment and looking for improvement in symptoms.
Investigators said they were impressed by the “thoughtfulness, diligence and commitment” of staff involved in her treatment but that Hussey “chose not to take advantage of all they had to offer”.
Recommendations included that there should be more systems for monitoring care plans.
Responding to the report, Chris Butler, chief executive of mental health services provider Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said it was a tragic event and expressed his deepest sympathy to all involved.