Schoolboy, 17, stabbed own mum to death
Killer told police to ‘bring body bag’ after knifing her 118 times
A MOTHER was stabbed 118 times by her son, who then called police telling them to ‘bring a body bag’, an inquest heard yesterday.
Rowan Thompson strangled Joanna Thompson, 50, in the living room of her home before brutally knifing her in the face, neck and arm.
The 17- year- ol d t hen phoned 999 and calmly said: ‘I’ve just killed my mum. I strangled her and I’ve been stabbing her with various knives and whatnot.’
The teenager, who had changed names from Ben after becoming ‘genderless’, was arrested at the home in the village of Hambledon, Hampshire, on July 1 last year. However, the killer was found dead aged 18 while in custody at a secure mental health facility in October, just four days before standing trial over the attack.
An inquest into the mother’s death heard that the killer had been living with Marc – the teenager’s father – in Barnsley, but was visiting Mrs Thompson for the weekend.
Thompson described to police feeling strange after returning from a jog with s peech t her a pi s t Mrs Thompson and going on ‘ autopilot’. The vi ctim was then strangled unconscious in her lounge. Her son returned ‘ten to 15 minutes’ later to stab her 118 times, including 38 times in the forehead.
The pair had argued about living arrangements on the night before her death and the son felt she was ‘controlling and overbearing’, the inquest heard. The teenager, who attended £16,000-a-year Churcher’s Coll e ge in Petersfield, Hampshire, had previously been admitted to mental health hospitals following a suicide attempt in 2017 after an uncle’s death.
The police officer who carried out the arrest said the son had been ‘extremely calm and composed’ and ‘seemed to be more concerned about his cat’.
In the chilling 999 call, played to Winchester Coroner’s Court, Thompson told police: ‘I’ve just killed my mum. I need someone to arrest me as that’s what you do and an ambulance would be nice.
‘I strangled her and I’ve been stabbing her with various knives and whatnot. My younger brother is at school, he’s due back later tonight.’
Thompson added: ‘She’s not breathing... bring a body bag or whatever you do. I’m 99.9 per cent sure she’s not breathing.
‘I started strangling her, she fell to the floor. I strangled her a bit more and stopped... then I kept my hands around her. Then I started stabbing her and whatnot... She’s in the living room.’
Thompson then cheerfully added: ‘I’m down for the weekend, I had a meal and went to the cinema with my best f riends, which was really nice.’
Mrs Thompson’s sister, Sophie Rugge-Price, said the killer had moved to live with Mr Thompson, a magician. She said: ‘In the last couple of years Rowan was showing signs of being depressed and showing suicidal tendencies, he had to be admitted to hospital.
‘She [his mother] found it difficult, he was seeing counsellors. He changed his name and gender.’
Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, coroner Jason Pegg said: ‘It seems no one will ever know why [Thompson killed her]. The only person who knows is Rowan and he’s going to be unable to tell us.’ An inquest into Thompson’s death will take place next year.
‘I need someone to arrest me’