Brother who killed sister with hammer detained indefinitely

Independent

25-07-2025

A brother who attacked his older sister with a hammer as she lay in bed has been detained indefinitely for her manslaughter.
Richard Law, 68, used a hammer to repeatedly bludgeon his sister Judith, 70, at their home in Newton Poppleford, Devon, in January this year.
Exeter Crown Court heard the siblings were reclusive and at the time of the Miss Law's death there was an 'inter-related spiral of mental decline'.
Jo Martin KC, prosecuting, said on the afternoon of January 17, Law phoned 999 and told the operator: 'I've killed my sister, and so I need you to come.
'We've both gone mad, I mean, mentally. I just couldn't cope with it all.'
The emergency services found Miss Law dead in her bed having suffered severe head injuries.
'He told the police there had been a build up from Christmas Day, although there had been no big argument,' Miss Martin said.
'He said, 'I kept hitting her to make sure because I didn't want to leave her. She wanted to die, the same as I did'.
'He went on to say, 'Part of my problem is being reclusive and withdrawn. The last thing you want to do is go to counselling or go to the doctor'.'
After being taken to the police station Law told officers he had intended to take his own life and was detained under the Mental Health Act.
A post-mortem examination found Miss Law had suffered 'catastrophic head injuries' from at least six blows from a hammer.
Police investigations found the siblings led quiet but separate lives, despite sharing their former parents' home.
'They were not well known to their neighbours,' Miss Martin said.
'What though did seem to be known of the two of them was they didn't have a particularly good sibling relationship.
'They led independent lives to the extent that they would shop and eat separately.
'When the police spoke to all of the friends and neighbours, it was clear that despite what they knew of their fraught relationship, no one had anticipated it would end in the killing of Judith by her brother.'
Miss Martin said Law told psychiatrists that both he and his sister spoke of suicide and that he was becoming 'increasingly stressed'.
'On January 17 he said that they'd had a conversation about how long it would take them both to rot if they just stayed in bed and didn't eat,' she said.
'He said that he recalled thinking that this was the day to end their lives.'
Law, of Lark Rise, Newton Poppleford, had previously been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Two psychiatrists found he had been suffering from a 'severe depressive disorder' which had affected his culpability.
Dan Pawson-Pounds, defending, said tensions between the siblings had exacerbated after their village had flooded in 2023 and their home needed repairs.
'The characterisation of the relationship between Mr Law and his sister is a difficult one because of course they were both relatively reclusive, Mr Law rather more than his sister,' he said.
'It appears that Mr Law's reclusive nature was a longstanding character trait developed over a number of years and was identifiable from the latest the mid-1990s.
'The knowledge of the neighbours and others of their relationship was naturally and inevitably somewhat limited.
'We would say that whilst there were clear tensions in that relationship, and those tensions were obviously exacerbated by the flood damage to their home and the ongoing repair work in 2023, it does appear that the balance of the observations taken from third parties is that while they lived their lives largely separately under the same roof, there was no suggestion of any violence at all between them.'
Judge Anna Richardson imposed a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41 – meaning Law can be detained indefinitely.
'On January 17 this year you rang 999 telling the operator that you had killed your sister, that you had struck her with a hammer more than once, and that you had both gone mad,' she said.
'You exhibited substantial signs of disturbance in your manner during that call.
'You have since told medical experts that your intention was to kill Judith and yourself, but you were unable to go through with killing yourself.
'I accept that you are genuinely remorseful.
'I have concluded that the protection of the public is not best served by passing a penal sentence which would be of relatively short duration.
'Rather the justice of the case and the public are better served by the making of a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act.
'I am satisfied that you are suffering from a mental disorder of a nature and degree which makes it appropriate for you to be detained in hospital for medical treatment.'