Road rage killer’s mum: I begged for help for 10 years
THE sobbing mother of a psychiatric patient who stabbed a pensioner to death yesterday told of the moment “all her nightmares came true” when her son said he had killed someone.
Lynda Daley told how her family had spent more than a decade begging mental health chiefs for help.
She said they had known her son Matthew Daley, 35, was a danger.
He is accused of murdering 79- yearold Don Lock by stabbing him 39 times following a minor road accident.
She said her son had been hearing “up to 20 or 30 voices” at a time and he would run two marathons a week to try to block them out.
The family had begged for him to be sectioned on numerous occasions.
Mrs Daley said: “I used to drive to work every morning listening to the radio to see if there had been an incident.” When she heard of the killing of retired solicitor Mr Lock her “blood ran cold” and she rang her son.
She told the court: “I said, ‘ have you done something?’ And he said, ‘ yes I have done something’.”
Prosecutor Philip Bennetts, QC, asked: “Then did he say, very quietly, ‘ I’ve killed someone. I want you to think on what I’ve said and ring back in 10 minutes’.”
A tearful Mrs Daley replied: “Yes.”
David Howker, QC, defending, asked: “This day was when all your worst nightmares came true wasn’t it?” Mrs Daley replied: “Yes”.
Her son, of Worthing, East Sussex, is on trial for murder at Lewes Crown Court. It is not disputed he killed Mr Lock in Worthing but the defence is claiming diminished responsibility.
Mrs Daley told the jury her son had become increasingly agitated.
He had huge debt problems and was “distraught” after splitting up with his girlfriend the week before the killing.
Of her quest for NHS help over the years, she added: “We were never provided with a proper diagnosis.
“We were frequently in meetings but not listened to.
“In the past 10 years we have pleaded to people on a regular basis. It would be weeks and weeks where we would be at high anxiety about where he is.”
The jury heard NHS chiefs now admitted care for Daley “should have been better”.
Mrs Daley gasped and said: “It’s 10 years too late.”
Daley has said he was calm “like Jesus Christ” as he killed Mr Lock. The court heard he shouted: ‘ Die, you ******** ****’ .
His lawyers are set to claim he might have acted in self- defence.
The trial continues. Lynda Daley at Lewes Crown Court where she yesterday told jurors of her fears over ‘ agitated’ son Matthew, 35, far right