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| Stephen Farrow jailed for life for murders of vicar and retired teacher | Stephen Farrow jailed for life for murders of vicar and retired teacher |
| (7 days later) | |
| A man who fatally stabbed a retired teacher and a vicar at their homes in attacks six weeks apart has been jailed for life and told he will never be released. | A man who fatally stabbed a retired teacher and a vicar at their homes in attacks six weeks apart has been jailed for life and told he will never be released. |
| Stephen Farrow, 48, who was homeless, showed no emotion as a jury decided by 11-1 that he had murdered 77-year-old Betty Yates in her isolated home on the banks of the river Severn at Bewdley, Worcestershire, in January, and agreed unanimously that he had murdered the Rev John Suddards, 59, at his vicarage in Thornbury, Gloucestershire. | Stephen Farrow, 48, who was homeless, showed no emotion as a jury decided by 11-1 that he had murdered 77-year-old Betty Yates in her isolated home on the banks of the river Severn at Bewdley, Worcestershire, in January, and agreed unanimously that he had murdered the Rev John Suddards, 59, at his vicarage in Thornbury, Gloucestershire. |
| Mr Justice Field, passing sentence at Bristol crown court, said Farrow knocked Yates unconscious with a heavy walking stick before moving her to rest her head on a pillow and then stabbing her four times. | Mr Justice Field, passing sentence at Bristol crown court, said Farrow knocked Yates unconscious with a heavy walking stick before moving her to rest her head on a pillow and then stabbing her four times. |
| "To put a knife deep into the body of Betty Yates as she lay helpless on the floor, having arranged her head on the pillow, was an act of absolute sadism. You did that because you wanted to. She wasn't threatening you. You put that knife in her to have the pleasure of doing it," he said. | "To put a knife deep into the body of Betty Yates as she lay helpless on the floor, having arranged her head on the pillow, was an act of absolute sadism. You did that because you wanted to. She wasn't threatening you. You put that knife in her to have the pleasure of doing it," he said. |
| After breaking in and attacking and killing Suddards, Farrow ransacked the vicarage and put items round the clergyman's body to desecrate his memory, the judge said. "You killed him – having kicked him down, having told him to 'fucking hurry up and die' – with seven deep knife wounds. He was helpless. That conduct was clearly sadistic." | After breaking in and attacking and killing Suddards, Farrow ransacked the vicarage and put items round the clergyman's body to desecrate his memory, the judge said. "You killed him – having kicked him down, having told him to 'fucking hurry up and die' – with seven deep knife wounds. He was helpless. That conduct was clearly sadistic." |
| Farrow had admitted the manslaughter of Suddards but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He pleaded not guilty to murdering Yates. He admitted a separate burglary, for which he was jailed for three years. The jury took eight and a half hours to reach their decisions. | Farrow had admitted the manslaughter of Suddards but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He pleaded not guilty to murdering Yates. He admitted a separate burglary, for which he was jailed for three years. The jury took eight and a half hours to reach their decisions. |
| The prosecution did not accept that Farrow's severe psychopathic personality disorder reduced his culpability in the murder of Suddards. It argued he did not kill "because he was mad" but acted in a manner that was "focused, directed and controlled". | The prosecution did not accept that Farrow's severe psychopathic personality disorder reduced his culpability in the murder of Suddards. It argued he did not kill "because he was mad" but acted in a manner that was "focused, directed and controlled". |
| The court heard psychiatrists for both sides agreed that being a psychopath would not have affected Farrow's ability to understand the nature of his conduct, and that he was not mentally ill. | The court heard psychiatrists for both sides agreed that being a psychopath would not have affected Farrow's ability to understand the nature of his conduct, and that he was not mentally ill. |
| When Suddards' body was found in his hallway it was surrounded by pornography, party poppers, a condom wrapper, underwear, a canvas of Christ and a mirror. A copy of the New Testament open at the letter of Jude was found on his chest with a calendar of a semi-naked male model covering the lower half of his body. After stabbing Suddards, Farrow stayed in the house to watch an Indiana Jones DVD and drink beer. | When Suddards' body was found in his hallway it was surrounded by pornography, party poppers, a condom wrapper, underwear, a canvas of Christ and a mirror. A copy of the New Testament open at the letter of Jude was found on his chest with a calendar of a semi-naked male model covering the lower half of his body. After stabbing Suddards, Farrow stayed in the house to watch an Indiana Jones DVD and drink beer. |
| The court heard that Farrow sent a text to a friend last New Year's Eve saying the "church will be the first to suffer". According to Farrow, 2012 marked the start of the second coming of Christ. He told a psychiatrist he had intended to crucify the clergyman on the floor. | The court heard that Farrow sent a text to a friend last New Year's Eve saying the "church will be the first to suffer". According to Farrow, 2012 marked the start of the second coming of Christ. He told a psychiatrist he had intended to crucify the clergyman on the floor. |
| Farrow was arrested in Folkestone six days after Suddards' murder after a nationwide manhunt by Avon and Somerset police. DNA evidence linked him to Yates's death. Not long before the murders, Farrow had carried out a burglary at a cottage in Thornbury, whose owners were away. A note threatening to "kill Christian scum" was pinned to the kitchen table with knives. | Farrow was arrested in Folkestone six days after Suddards' murder after a nationwide manhunt by Avon and Somerset police. DNA evidence linked him to Yates's death. Not long before the murders, Farrow had carried out a burglary at a cottage in Thornbury, whose owners were away. A note threatening to "kill Christian scum" was pinned to the kitchen table with knives. |
| Hilary Bosworth, Suddards' sister, asked after the verdicts: "Do we, as a country, do enough to ensure that psychopaths with a known history of violence and criminal offences are not left roaming around at large, ready to attack someone? Do we perhaps need to think again about how we might better monitor those people in our communities who present a real risk to society?" | Hilary Bosworth, Suddards' sister, asked after the verdicts: "Do we, as a country, do enough to ensure that psychopaths with a known history of violence and criminal offences are not left roaming around at large, ready to attack someone? Do we perhaps need to think again about how we might better monitor those people in our communities who present a real risk to society?" |
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