Son who killed 'hardworking' mum given hospital order
Cheshire ConstabularyA man who killed his "hardworking" mother at her Macclesfield home has been given a hospital order with no fixed end date.
Simon Norman Carter, 50, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Gwyneth Carter, 72, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Her family remembered her as strong and protective, with a laugh people would not forget.
The Crown Prosecution Service said psychiatric evidence indicated Carter was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
At Chester Crown Court on 20 July, Judge Everett imposed a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, with a restriction order under section 41.
Cheshire Police said Carter, who had been living in Torquay, had been estranged from his mother for 19 years when he arrived unannounced at her Pearson Street home on 12 July 2025.
He asked about his father and left after 10 to 15 minutes when Gwyneth told him his father had died two years earlier.
She later told her sister, Janis, that she was concerned by Carter's behaviour and that he "wasn't behaving like her son".
When Gwyneth stopped answering calls and messages, Janis went to the house and alerted a neighbour on 18 July. They found Gwyneth, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cheshire ConstabularyA Home Office post-mortem examination found she died from multiple injuries to the head and neck, police said.
Police recovered more than 4,000 hours of CCTV footage showing Carter coming and going from the house at relevant times. DNA and footwear evidence also placed him at the scene.
Carter was arrested on 20 July 2025 and has remained detained under the Mental Health Act.
Det Insp Simon Mills described the evidence against him as "overwhelming".
Gwyneth's family said she played darts for a local team and in recent years found comfort and companionship with her dog, Oscar.
Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
