A woman who discovered her mother's body after she was stabbed and beaten with a golf club by her brother told a court of her heartbreak. Angela Daly described walking into a scene of 'unimaginable horror' after finding her mother, 70-year-old Phyllis Daly, on the kitchen floor of her childhood home on Merseyside.
The grandmother, described as a 'true inspiration', was killed by her son Graham Daly, who then sped away from the scene in his car and went into a local pub wearing only shorts and covered in blood. He later told police: "My mum tried to kill me today and I defended myself. I killed her."
Attack at family home
Daly, 45, a former shop security guard, was said to have been experiencing 'paranoid, persecutory delusions' at the time and pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. He was yesterday (Friday, November 6) handed an indefinite hospital order, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Ms Daly had been at home on the morning of Sunday, July 13, last year, with her husband Dave having gone out to play golf, Liverpool Crown Court heard. She was subsequently phoned by her daughter Angela at around 10.15 am, with the two having 'spoken to each other several times a day', and later sent an email saying that she 'wasn't going to allow Graham to play his music so early.'
At around 10.30am, neighbours heard arguing before Graham Daly emerged from the house an hour later 'bare-chested and barefooted', Peter Glenser KC, prosecuting, said. Daly, of Clent Road, Maghull, was said to have been wearing only shorts upon his arrival at the pub in an 'extremely agitated state', having had blood on his knuckles, arms and feet and with scratches noted to his torso.
"His behaviour was very odd, and he was behaving irrationally and in a way which must have been alarming, saying he could take one of the two women around the corner and rape her and get rid of her body" the prosecutor said. The women kept him talking until police arrived.
Court hears of injuries and impact
Daly went on to tell PCs that he 'couldn't remember what happened' but had 'been on a bender and blacked out' before stating: "My mum tried to kill me today and I defended myself. My mother tried to kill me. She's in the house. She tried to kill me, and I had to defend myself." Asked whether his 'mum was ok', Daly then replied 'no, I killed her.'
Angela Daly was meanwhile said to have become concerned for her mum's welfare due to her 'not replying to attempts to contact her', attending the family home shortly after 12.45pm as a result. It was at this stage that she found Phyllis' lifeless body lying face down on the kitchen floor.
A post-mortem revealed that she had been the 'victim of a sustained attack with multiple weapons', including two stab wounds to either side of her neck and a further eight puncture wounds and 25 incised wounds. Knives and a pair of scissors which were recovered from the were said to have been 'consistent' with these injuries. The pathologist also found 'evidence of a significant blunt force assault involving at least one weapon', believed to have been a 'golf club or golf clubs.' Her injuries would have 'required the use of severe force', they concluded. She had also been subjected to 'prolonged neck compression.' This did not directly contribute to her death but may have rendered her unconscious or less able to defend herself, they concluded.
Angela Daly read a statement to the court during the hearing, saying from the witness box after hugging her dad: "My mum was my world, and she was a true inspiration. She was the beating heart of our family and much loved and respected amongst friends and neighbours. She lit up every room she walked into with a friendly smile and a warmth that made everybody feel special. She had a great sense of humour and never let her health issues get in the way of living her life to the full.
"On the 13th of July last year, concerned for her welfare, I walked into our family home and found my mum lying silently on the kitchen floor with the ceiling, the walls and floor covered in blood and our dog lying next to her. It was a scene of unimaginable horror, and it's stayed with me ever since. I will never forget the silence, the sight and the smell.
"The image of my beautiful mum on that floor stops me in my tracks multiple times a day, even now. I knew as soon as I saw her that she'd been taken from me in the most horrific way. I was furious, in shock and felt numb and helpless. I still am."
Sentencing and family statements
Ms Daly added: "Her death will never make sense to me. It is my belief that it was entirely preventable. There is not one aspect of my life that has not been completely destroyed by what Graham did to my mum. My life as it ended the moment I found her." She also said: "Having to tell my dad that his wife of 50 years had been killed by their son, my brother, was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was soul-destroying, and the look of devastation on my dad's face stays with me. My heart breaks every time I look at my dad, and seeing his physical and emotional health decline over the past year has been heartbreaking."
Ms Daly said her mother 'supported Graham unconditionally and nurtured him, despite living in fear of him.' "She was his biggest supporter, and the love and care she showed him through his challenges never waivered at all" she said. Ms Daly, who works in children's mental health, added: "My mum put her trust in a system that, in my opinion, failed Graham and, as a result, failed my mum and our family. I welcome a thorough investigation into the care Graham received, because I would not want any other family to go through the hell that we endure every single day."
Dave Daly gave his own statement in a pre-recorded video. Having held hands with his daughter in the public gallery as this was played to the court, he said: "Phil was beautiful, funny, determined, compassionate and loving, someone who had time for everyone."
Giving evidence via video link, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Hasanen Al-Taiar detailed how the defendant had been suffering from schizophrenia with symptoms of bipolar disorder. This was said to have 'made a substantial and direct contribution to him killing his mother', with Daly's 'paranoid, persecutory delusions' having caused him to 'genuinely believe he was reacting to an imminent threat to his own life.'
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC told Daly, who appeared via videolink from Ashworth Hospital: "You have a history of poor mental health. The only account you have given of what happened is that you believed your mother had tried to kill you, and you struck her in self-defence. That suggestion is clearly untrue and almost certainly a product of your mental illness. Both doctors agree that your use of cannabis was capable of exacerbating the severity and persistence of your psychotic symptoms, but the evidence does not support a conclusion that your presentation was solely explained by intoxication or a substance-induced psychotic disorder.
"I am not convinced that a lack of pre-meditation is a relevant factor in offending which was primarily driven by your mental disorder, nor can I detect any remorse. I unhesitatingly agree with your family that you are a dangerous offender. That is an inevitable conclusion from the circumstances of your offending," he added.
