Man who killed his mother with a claw hammer in the family home admits manslaughter

A paranoid schizophrenic from Castleford who admitted killing his mother with a claw hammer has been detained for an indefinite period.
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Wayne Beer repeatedly struck his mother, Diane Jones, with the weapon after losing his temper with her on March 14, 2018.

He was detained under the mental health act and was deemed not fit to stand trial.

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However, he appeared at Leeds Crown Court today via video link from the high-security hospital at Rampton after it was deemed that his mental health had improved.

A picture of the house taken a few days after the incident in 2018.A picture of the house taken a few days after the incident in 2018.
A picture of the house taken a few days after the incident in 2018.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, which was accepted by the crown.

Prosecuting, Dafydd Enoch said in the lead up to the killing, Beer had been "acting strangely for some time".

He had been sitting in his bedroom at the family's Ambleside Road home, staring at the wall and shouting abuse to someone he thought was behind the wall.

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When his mother tried to calm him down, he attacked her with the hammer, hitting her several times.

Her husband, Terry Jones, tried to intervene when he heard is wife screaming at the top of the stairs, but Beer pushed him down the stairs.

Beer then and sat on a wall outside the home and continued to shouting "rambling abuse".

When the police arrested him he was making religious remarks, and said: "Jesus has put his hammer of justice out. I had to do it".

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He was deemed not fit to be interviewed and later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and delusions.

Mrs Jones, 62, was taken to hospital with multiple injuries to her head and died nine days later, the court was told.

A report presented to the court by psychiatrist Dr Stephen Barlow said that Beer was suffering with religious and persecutory delusions.

He said: "He had beliefs about his mother's behaviour which were considered to be delusional.

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"They were a substantial factor in the event that led to the death of his mother."

Dr Barlow said that since being held at Rampton, the 45-year-old had been on anti-psychotic medication which had "dampened down the acute symptoms".

But Dr Barlow, along with two other psychiatrists who had been working with Beer, said that he needed further medical treatment and should be detained under a new hospital order.

The Recorder of Leeds, Guy Kearl QC agreed and told Beer: "Your mental health has improved to the extent that you became fit to plea.

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"It's clear that you need to continue inpatient treatment at Rampton and I'm satisfied that the appropriate treatment is available to you.

Passing the new hospital order to detain Beer, the judge added: "It's not possible to say how long you will be detained."