‘My daughter just stabbed me – I think I’m dying’

A 78-year-old woman cried ‘I love you’ as her daughter stood over her after stabbing her 12 times with a kitchen knife.

Paranoid schizophrenic Olivia Moat appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday and was ruled unfit to plead over the attempted murder of Shirley Moat. She had become estranged from her mother for several years due to her illness, which was untreated for decades.

But last August Shirley answered the door at her Bekesbourne Lane, Canterbury, home to be confronted by her 50-year-old daughter. Olivia pushed her mum backwards and declared: “You are going to die.” She grabbed a carpet sweeper from the porch and knocked Shirley to the floor, then repeatedly rained blows on her mum using her own walking stick, causing her to slip in and out of consciousness.

As Shirley lay defenceless, Moat took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her mother at least 12 times to the head, chest, abdomen, thigh, hands and arms, causing life-threatening injuries. “Shirley told her daughter she loved her. Olivia picked up her mother’s bag and went out of the house, leaving her mother lying on the floor,” prosecutor Peter Forbes explained.

“There were stab wounds to her right cheek, which had gone down to the cheekbone, causing a fracture. “There were stab wounds to the right side of the head, one of which had penetrated through the skull into the brain, causing some bleeding to the surface of the brain. “Her right eye-socket and her nose had been broken as well as two ribs.

“She was bleeding heavily.” Shirley conjured enough energy to call 999, with an operator battling for several minutes to help her stay conscious. Police and paramedics were on the scene within minutes, forcing entry into the home, the court heard. Shirley was airlifted to King’s College Hospital in London for treatment to her 12 wounds. They included a 7cm laceration to her neck and 10cm deep stab wound to her stomach. Police located Olivia minutes after the 999 call about a mile from the crime scene. Forensics would later discover blood on her shoe belonged to

Shirley.

“She told the police she had been to see her mum,” Mr Forbes continued.

“But when she was arrested for attempted murder Olivia said ‘she was already dead’. “I haven’t seen her in 38 years. The door was open and she was dead when I got there.” Following her arrest Olivia, of Brymore Road in Canterbury, was deemed unfit for interview. Meanwhile, forensics were busy gathering evidence at Shirley’s home and made some chilling discoveries.