A man who killed his mother after she told him his father had died has been given an indefinite hospital order. Simon Carter, 50, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the diminished responsibility manslaughter of his mother, Gwyneth Carter.
Carter attended his mother's address on Pearson Street on July 12, 2025, to ask about his father. He had been living in Torquay and estranged from his mother for 19 years, arriving unannounced.
Gwyneth told him his father had died two years earlier. Carter left after a short 10-15 minute visit. Gwyneth was concerned about his behavior and told her sister, Janis, she wasn't sure if he had been on drink or drugs and that he wasn't behaving like her son.
Discovery of the body
When Janis failed to get any response from Gwyneth over the next couple of days, she went to her house on July 18 and alerted a neighbor. She tragically found her dead.
Officers and paramedics attended, and Gwyneth, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple injuries to the head and neck.
Simon was arrested after 'extremely strong forensic evidence placed him at the scene through his DNA and footwear'. A plea of manslaughter by diminished responsibility was accepted after 'strong medical evidence' showed he had undiagnosed mental health issues.
Carter was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on July 20, 2026, receiving an indeterminate section 37 hospital order with a section 41 restriction under the Mental Health Act 1983. He has remained detained under the Mental Health Act since his arrest on July 20, 2025.
Family tribute
Gwyneth's family issued a moving tribute, saying she was a 'strong lady with a laugh you could not forget'. They said: 'She was a hardworking, strong lady with a laugh you could not forget, she was well known years ago for playing darts for a local team, she was competitive and always up for a good time. She was stubborn, known for always standing her ground and protective of those she loved. In recent years she found comfort and companionship with her beloved dog, Oscar.'
DI Simon Mills said: 'The investigation was long and complex and over 4,000 hours of CCTV footage was recovered in the local area. Through our enquiries the movements of Carter were evidenced in the local area showing him coming and going from the address at the relevant times. Extremely strong forensic evidence placed him at the scene through his DNA and footwear – we held an extremely strong hand of evidence.
'It was sadly apparent through the enquiries that Carter had been behaving erratically and that he likely had undiagnosed mental health issues. Once arrested strong medical evidence showed that Carter did not have the required capacity at the time of the murder, hence why the plea of diminished responsibility manslaughter was accepted by the prosecution.'
He added: 'Our thoughts are with the family of Gwyneth, and hopefully this indeterminable sentence can allow the family to grieve and process the extremely sad events they have been subjected to.'
