Location: UK – Page 12 – Disability Day of Mourning

Betty Guy

Photo of Betty Guy, an elderly woman with light skin and light-gray hair, wearing glasses and a blue top. She is smiling and hugging someone off-camera. Name: Betty Guy.
Died: November 7, 2011.
Age at death: 84.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Haverfordwet, England, UK.
Disability: Mobility impaired, chronic pain, frail elder.

Details:
Betty’s daughter and grandson had decided it was “time for her to go”, so they drove to her house, where they drugged her with sleeping pills; then her grandson smothered her with a pillow. He had to try twice before he killed her, because she fought to live.

Betty was a retired nurse.

Case status:
Barry Rogers (Grandson), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.
Penelope John (Daughter), found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 years to life.

Source:
Ex-soldier could not have murdered grandmother as Iraq left him so ‘messed up’ he would not kill again, court hears
Man lied about killing ‘for attention’
Murder accused ‘talked about euthanasia’
Ex-Soldier Accused Of Murdering Grandmother “Messed Up By Iraq”
Murder accused ‘told ex-wife he had killed his grandmother’
Accused ‘had to smother gran twice’
‘Murder victim Betty Guy fought off grandson as he smothered her with pillow’, jury told
‘Man said he would finish off ill gran’
Betty Guy trial: Grandson threatened to kill girlfriend while she slept
Pensioner ‘smothered’ by grandson
Man smothered his grandmother twice before she died, court told
Mother and son to go on trial accused of murdering grandmother
Mother and son’s murder trial to start today
Mother and son’s murder trial begins

Diane Stewart

Photo of a middle-aged woman sitting at a desk; she has brown, curly hair and fair skin. Name: Diane Stewart.
Died: June 25, 2010.
Age at death: 47.
Cause of death: Suffocation.
Location: Bassingbourn, England, UK.
Disability: Epilepsy.

Details:
Diane’s husband killed her and claimed she had died of epilepsy. He was not suspected of murder until he also killed his non-disabled second wife, Helen Bailey, and was convicted of her murder. Diane’s body had been cremated, but luckily she had left her brain to medical research, and when it was examined, it showed signs of suffocation.

Case status:
Ian Stewart (Husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 35 years to life.

Source:
Killer who murdered wife and fiancee has sentence reduced
Doctor explains how killer Ian Stewart nearly got away with murder
Ian Stewart: Man who killed author guilty of murdering wife
Diane Stewart: How a donated brain helped convict a double killer
Ian Stewart: Murder accused’s 999 call played to trial jury
Ian Stewart murder trial hears oxygen starvation evidence
Ian Stewart: Helen Bailey’s killer on trial over Diane Stewart’s murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with new murder
Boyfriend convicted of murdering Helen Bailey charged with first wife’s murder
Man arrested on suspicion of murder over death of convicted killer’s wife
Killer of author Helen Bailey ‘held over death of first wife’
Police quiz man over death of his wife who died suddenly in 2010
Killer Of Author Helen Bailey ‘Arrested Over Death Of Wife In 2010’
Killer of children’s author Helen Bailey ‘quizzed over death of first wife’
Man who murdered children’s author, Helen Bailey, is charged with killing his wife six years earlier

Beryl Webb

No Photo Name: Beryl Webb.
Died: May 14, 2010.
Age at death: 75.
Cause of death: Smothered.
Location: Wadsley, Sheffield, UK.
Disability: Fibromyalgia, arthritis, histrionic personality disorder, cancer survivor.

Details:
Beryl’s husband smothered her.

Case status:
George Webb (Husband), convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 2 years; sentenced to 12 months, suspended, on appeal.

Source:
Man killed disabled wife
Pensioner who smothered wife in ‘mercy killing’ is freed from jail by appeal judges | Daily Mail Online

Glen Freaney

Photo of a boy with fair skin and short brown hair, his glasses slipping down his nose. He is smiling, holding a watercolor painting and a small silver trophy. Name: Glen Freaney.
Died: May 13, 2010.
Age at death: 11.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Penarth Vale, Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Glen was strangled by his mother.

Case status:
Yvonne Freaney (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter and walked free from court with a supervision order.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Glen Freaney
Mother killed autistic son with coat belt, court hears
‘He was laughing when I strangled him. Then I knew he was happy’: Mother ‘killed’ severely autistic son after facing lifetime of care
“Glen Freaney”, Find a Grave
“Despairing mother who strangled autistic son walks free from court”, Daily Mail

Ajit Singh

Name: Ajit Singh-Mahal.
Died: February 9, 2010.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Multiple organ failure.
Location: London, England, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Ajit’s mother, facing a social services investigation for neglect, forced him to drink bleach. He died of multiple organ failure.

Case status:
Satpal Kaur-Singh (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter; sentenced to 7 years.

Source:
Mother kills autistic son by forcing him to drink bleach
Mother killed her autistic son, 12, by forcing him to drink bleach as she ‘feared that social services would take him away’
Woman jailed for killing autistic son, 12, with bleach
Autism Memorial: Ajit Singh

Charlotte Avenall

Photo of Charlotte Avenall, a small, strawberry-blonde, fair skinned girl sitting on a bed with her chin on her hand, wearing pink pants and a white shirt, looking thoughtful. Name: Charlotte Avenall.
Died: September 12, 2009.
Age at death: 8.
Cause of death: Hanging.
Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy, intellectual disability.

Details:
Even though they took good care of their exotic pets, Charlotte’s parents neglected their daughter. Despite her disabilities and age requiring supervision, she was locked into a filthy room, completely alone; on the day she died, she had been left alone for fourteen hours. She had just learned to tie a knot in school when she hanged herself by the cord on the window blinds and died.

Case status:
Simon Moody (Father), pleaded guilty to child cruelty, sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Susan Moody (Mother), pleaded guilty to child cruelty, sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Source:
Hanged girl’s parents jailed for child cruelty
Charlotte Avenall’s ‘atrocious’ neglect shocked town
Police arrest parents of eight-year-old girl found hanged at home

Lindsey Alvarez

No Photo Name: Lindsey Angela Alvarez.
Died: August 4, 2009.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Salt poisoning.
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Disability: Autism.

Details:
Lindsey was brought to the emergency room, vomiting and having difficulty breathing. A few days later, she was dead from severe brain swelling caused by an excess of salt.

Doctors determined that Lindsey had ingested at least seven and a half teaspoons of salt–a fatal dose. A coroner also found that Lindsey had fractured ribs, a broken ankle, and fingertip-shaped bruises on her neck.

Case status:
Nearly five years after her death, a judge decided that there was a good chance Lindsey had been deliberately abused or murdered and that despite her severe autism, Lindsey would not voluntarily have eaten such a large amount of salt. The investigation into her death is ongoing.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Lindsey Angela Alvarez
Child salt poison inquest is halted after coroner felt an ‘offence may have been committed’
Coroner halts inquest into salt poisoning death
Autistic girl, 4, killed by too much salt
Adult could have administered salt that killed girl of four, inquest told
Coroner uneasy over little girl’s injuries after inquest fails to establish how she died from salt poisoning

Tom Inglis

Photo of Tom Inglis, a young man with short brown hair, fair skin, and red lips. Name: Thomas “Tom” Inglis.
Died: November 21, 2008.
Age at death: 22.
Cause of death: Heroin overdose.
Location: Dagenham, Essex, UK.
Disability: TBI.

Details:
Tom’s mother went to the rehabilitation facility where he was recovering from a head injury and injected him with an overdose of heroin.

Case status:
Frances Inglis (Mother), convicted of murder and attempted murder, sentenced to life, served 5 years and was released.

Source:
‘Devoted’ mother who gave brain-damaged son lethal heroin injection has jail term slashed

Eileen Martin

Name: Eileen Martin.
Died: November 10, 2008.
Age at death: 76.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Vascular dementia.

Details:
Eileen’s husband killed her by hitting her in the head before committing suicide.

Case status:
Ken Martin (Husband), deceased.

Source:
Shock over tragedy of ‘devoted couple’
Families REJECT claims a mystery serial killer slaughtered their elderly relatives and insist it was murder-suicide
Elderly husband killed dementia-suffering wife and himself ‘so she didn’t become a burden on family’

Sonya Todd

Name: Sonya Todd.
Died: March 23, 2008.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Traumatic injury and diabetic crisis.
Location: Methil, Fife, Scotland, UK.
Disability: Diabetes, asthma.

Details:
Sonya’s boyfriend beat her during a diabetic episode; the injuries he inflicted on her, in addition to the diabetic crisis, were enough to kill.

She was an academically talented young woman who liked doing volunteer work. She left behind a six-year-old daughter.

Case status:
David Craige (Partner), pleaded guilty to culpable homicide, sentenced to 6 years. Released; now dating another woman with a disability.

Source:
Killer who beat mum to death with dog chain free and has ‘vulnerable’ girlfriend
Horror find at Methil flat
Man jailed for dog chain killing
Jealous Fife man jailed for killing girlfriend
Grieving dad’s anger as daughter’s killer gets six years