The founder of the Browns Brasserie restaurant chain and his sister are standing trial accused of murdering their 100-year-old mother, who a court heard was “in agony” the night before she died.
Jeremy Mogford, 79, who founded the Browns Brasserie chain, and his sister Sarah Pickering, 72, are charged with murdering their mother Pamela Mogford in Bledlow Ridge, Buckinghamshire, in February 2022. They also face an alternative charge of attempted murder.
Mrs Mogford died at about half-past midnight on February 15, 2022.
Allegations of morphine overdose
The pair were arrested after texts were discovered from Pickering on the evening of her death which included “I am actually killing her” and “I shall wait until Foyle is over then I can go to my grave knowing I have topped someone. It’s certainly on my bucket list”.
It is alleged the defendants gave their mother the equivalent of “at least four times” as much morphine as what her GP had given her the evening before she died in an effort to “speed up” her death.
The siblings accept giving their mother Oramorph after the GP had left, but deny intending to quicken her death, rather, maintaining they did so because she was in pain, jurors at Oxford Crown Court have heard.
Carer's testimony
Giving evidence on Wednesday, a carer who was looking after Mrs Mogford around the time of her death detailed how unwell she was in February 2022, saying her condition got “worse and worse” every day.
On February 14, Agnes Pawlikowska called an ambulance because Mrs Mogford seemed to be “in another dimension”, unable to speak properly or stand. The witness said one of the paramedics told her the patient could be dead in a couple of hours or days.
Jurors heard previously that Mrs Mogford’s GP visited her three times that day, giving her injections of morphine on the second and third visits as he thought “she might be dying”.
Ms Pawlikowska recorded in her notes that the GP left instructions that Mrs Mogford was to be kept comfortable and pain-free. The carer also wrote of the evening that “Pamela was lying on the bed under morphine in agony”.
Asked on Wednesday if she would have administered morphine to Mrs Mogford that night “out of pity”, Ms Pawlikowska said: “Yes, I would.” But she told jurors she does not remember giving Mrs Mogford any morphine herself and confirmed she would “always” record medication administered in her notes.
Family relationship and paramedic evidence
Ms Pawlikowska also said she suspected Mogford was the favourite child. She told the court he visited his mother “very often” and spoke with her on the phone “every day”. She said it was “true” that her patient would “chirp up” when her son visited or called.
David Worsfold, one of the paramedics who assessed Mrs Mogford on February 14, said it was obvious she was in pain and that he would have administered her morphine if there had been any available in the ambulance. Giving evidence, he told jurors he did not know there was Oramorph in the house, and if he did he may have administered a small dose.
He believed Mrs Mogford had had an aortic aneurysm and recommended hospitalisation to her, which she declined. Mr Worsfold said he discussed the risks with her, “the main one being death”, and recalled that she replied: “Good.”
The court heard Mrs Mogford was described as “EOL” (end of life). The trial continues on Thursday.
