SOUTHPORT MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER AFTER BRUTAL KILLING OF MOTHER
Andrew Tinton, aged 55, reported hearing voices instructing him to commit violence before he carried out the murder of his elderly mother.He attacked Rose Marie Tinton, 82, at her residence on Folkestone Road in Southport, striking her with a lump hammer.
The assault included at least 30 strikes to her head, causing injuries described by medical experts as 'unsurvivable.' Tinton had struggled with paranoid schizophrenia since at least 2007, with his condition worsening notably in 2020—primarily due to the disruptions caused by lockdown measures and the loss of his father to cancer.
Although he had been managing his mental health with medication and ongoing support from mental health services, his mental state declined significantly in the months leading up to the incident; assessments indicated he was 'not his usual self' and was hearing voices.
On January 29 of the previous year, after killing his mother, Tinton left her house and attempted to end his life by jumping from a railway bridge near Kirkdale station.
When police arrived to inform him of his own suicide, they discovered Rose Marie Tinton deceased.
During police interviews, Tinton admitted that voices had told him to kill his mother and himself, believing that their deaths together were justified.
Originally charged with murder, he pled guilty to manslaughter based on diminished responsibility.
He was committed to a hospital under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act, with the understanding that he will only be discharged once mental health professionals and the Ministry of Justice determine he no longer poses a threat to others.
