Patricia Hewitt, 42, was given a hospital order after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility
A woman suffering from schizophrenia killed a disabled woman in her own home just hours after receiving a suspended prison sentence, and mere minutes after being spoken by police community support officers, a court has heard.
Patricia Hewitt, 42, inflicted 47 stab wounds on Angela Lloyd, 56, at her sheltered accommodation bungalow in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, on 13 August last year. Teesside Crown Court was told that Hewitt had a documented history of mental illness, alongside a long record of drug abuse and criminal convictions.
Hewitt denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Prosecutor Jolyon Perks confirmed that this plea was accepted “following a thorough review and expert opinion of three psychiatrists”. On Wednesday, Hewitt was handed a hospital order, with a judge acting on a psychiatrist’s recommendation that this would best ensure “long-term public safety”.
However, Ms Lloyd’s family expressed their “disappointment” with the hospital order, stating they “believed there should be a penal element”.
The court heard that Hewitt had been arrested the day before Ms Lloyd’s death for punching a woman in the head. After being held overnight, she appeared in court, pleaded guilty to the assault, and was given a suspended prison sentence. Mr Perks detailed how Hewitt then went to her sister’s house, where she was described as “flustered and talking in riddles”.
Later that day, police community support officers (PCSOs) spoke to Hewitt after a man reported she had attempted to enter his garden. The officers reportedly enquired about her welfare and offered her a lift home. She left the area around 6.30pm after a Morrisons worker confronted her for attempting to steal wine.
Mr Perks stated that minutes later, and just 100 metres away, Ms Lloyd made the first of three calls to a Care Connect alarm service. Ms Lloyd suffered from a muscle wasting condition and relied on a wheelchair.
While the initial calls were unclear to the operator, a later transcription revealed Ms Lloyd screaming for help, stating she had an intruder in her house. She was later heard saying she was being stabbed to death, with the defendant shouting “where’s your money”, the court heard.
When Ms Lloyd’s carer arrived at the property, she was found unresponsive on the kitchen floor, clutching her Care Connect handset in one hand and prayer beads in the other. Hewitt subsequently returned to her sister’s home, where she was described as “increasingly agitated and incoherent”.
Statements from Ms Lloyd’s brothers, read in court, painted a picture of a devoted Catholic who lived a simple life and dedicated her time to local charities.
Joseph Lloyd lamented that his sister was “taken away too soon by Patricia Hewitt for the sake of money”. He added: “We are told she has mental health issues, however at some time she will be free to carry on with her life.”
A psychiatrist told the court that Hewitt had displayed clear symptoms of schizophrenia which were either “missed or very much downplayed”.
Ms Lloyd’s family released a poignant statement: “Angela was a lovely woman. Kind, generous and always thinking of others, she truly was a ray of sunshine. We miss her terribly every day. Angela was disabled, used a wheelchair and was extremely vulnerable.
“She died, unprotected, in the most violent and awful way possible. The fact that her repeated calls for help went unanswered, and that she was stabbed 47 times, unable to escape or help herself in any way, haunts us every day. It is the stuff of nightmares.”
They continued: “We know the offender was known to be dangerous, with a long history of drug abuse, repeated offending, and violence… Her responsibility for this awful crime may be diminished – but it is not extinguished.”
The family concluded: “We are left with many questions about how this awful situation came about. We are particularly concerned about the actions or inaction of all the organisations that failed so badly to protect Angela from such a violent and dangerous criminal. Angela was let down, she deserved much better.”