‘Our worst nightmares’ Shock as son, 42, admits killing parents
ASON has admitted stabbing his parents to death. William Warrington, 42, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his father Clive, 67, and mother Valerie, 73, by reason of diminished responsibility.
He has been made the subject of a hospital order without limit of time under Section 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.
Warrington, from St George’s Street, Cheltenham had denied charges of murder but admitted killing his parents during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting, told High Court judge Mrs Justice Eady the pleas were acceptable to the Crown.
Warrington’s parents, who were divorced, were found at two separate addresses in Gloucestershire on the morning of March 2.
Mr Warrington was found dead at a property in Sherborne Place, Cheltenham, after reports of a serious assault at around 6.25am.
A short while later, his ex-wife was found at an address in the village of Bourton-on-the-water, about 15 miles from Cheltenham.
Since the killing Warrington, of St George’s Street, Cheltenham has been detained at Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility.
The court heard Warrington had been detained under the Mental Health Act after being arrested on February 17 this year when he attacked his housemate with a knife. He was taken to the Wotton Lawn psychiatric unit in Gloucester.
On the afternoon of March 1, Warrington left Wotton Lawn on escorted leave and went to a nearby petrol station where he bought shampoo and got £100 cash back before returning. Later that evening, Warrington was granted unescorted leave from the ward to the courtyard at Wotton Lawn.
He went into the courtyard and is then captured on CCTV leaving the unit through the reception front door. By midnight staff discovered Warrington had disappeared and was he reported missing to the police.
Meanwhile, Warrington had been picked up at 9.45pm in taxi from Wotton Lawn and driven to Bourton-onthe-water, which he had booked that morning in the name of “Peter”.
During the journey he asked the driver to stop at a garage and buy him a small bottle of brandy and two cans of Red Bull.
They then stopped and bought another bottle of brandy. The court heard Warrington got the taxi driver to drop him about five miles from his mother’s home.
“He broke into the house and he killed his mother,” Mrs Vigars said.
“He has given different accounts and having killed Valerie Warrington he fell asleep in the house before leaving in the car.”
When he awoke, he drove his mother’s car to Cheltenham and bought a bottle of wine before parking near his father’s home in Sherborne Place. Neighbours were woken to hear loud banging noises coming from Mr Warrington’s flat and called police.
Police arrived at Mr Warrington’s home and found his body covered in blood.
“While the neighbours stood outside, William Warrington emerged and he was arrested a short time later walking along a road,” the prosecutor said.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Warrington had suffered knife wounds Mrs Warrington also had knife wounds and she had been run over by a car.
The family of a man and his former wife who were killed by their mentally ill son have said they struggled for years to get him help. William Warrington, 42, has admitted the manslaughter of Clive and Valerie Warrington by reason of diminished responsibility.
In a victim impact statement read during his sentencing hearing, the family said his health had been declining for a decade and blamed deficiencies in psychiatric care. “Our worst nightmares were realised when the crimes were committed on March 2 because we could not have foreseen the events of that day,” the statement said. “However, in the weeks prior our fears for the safety of the family have been communicated to the emergency services, Gloucestershire Police, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. Our fears were confirmed when our parents were brutally murdered by our brother, William Warrington.
“The pain of losing our parents is immeasurable and we will carry it every day for the rest of our lives. We will forever be affected by the dramatic nature and preventable circumstances which we have been told will be fully investigated by a formal inquiry.”
The statement, read by prosecutor Anna Vigars KC, said Warrington had been ill for several years.
“William’s mental health has specifically been in decline over the past decade and accelerated due to a deficiency of support in the system,” they said.
“When he lost his mind, we lost our brother and then the ultimate tragedy: we lost our mother and father.
“We lost all confidence in the government agencies and systems responsible for managing and responding to mental health crises and domestic abuse. We firmly believe that he continues to pose a severe threat.
“The idea that you might one day be released is horrifying. Again, we are living in fear of our safety.”