Location: UK – Page 14 – Disability Day of Mourning

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

Michelle Thomson

Photo of Michelle Thomson, a teenage girl with wavy brown hair and light skin, wearing a striped shirt. Name: Michelle Thomson.
Died: March 5, 2008.
Age at death: 25.
Cause of death: Stabbed.
Location: Buckhaven, Fife, Scotland.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Michelle and her little brother Ryan were stabbed to death by her father.

Case status:
Rab Thomson (Father), sentenced to 17 years to life in prison.

Source:
Mother tells of agony after disabled daughter, 25, and son, 7, are brutally murdered by ex-husband bent on revenge
Traumatised mum who endured terrible loss of two children fears being made homeless after cruel benefits blow
Criminologist reveals how killer Rab Thomson murdered his children in a bid to seek revenge against his wife
Handicapped woman and brother found murdered

Sharon Birchwood

Photo of Sharon Birchwood, a woman with fair skin and straight, shoulder-length gray hair; she is wearing a black dress and smiling for the camera. Name: Sharon Birchwood.
Died: December 7, 2007.
Age at death: 52.
Cause of death: Strangled.
Location: Ashtead, England, UK.
Disability: Myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Details:
Sharon was tied up and strangled by a hit man hired by her husband. He had planned to claim her life insurance, sell her house, and flee the country.

Case status:
Graham Birchwood (husband), convicted of murder, sentenced to 29 years, died in prison.
Paul Cryne (Hitman), convicted of murder, sentenced to 28-and-a-half years, died in prison.

Source:
Man who ordered hitman to kill disabled ex-wife dies in prison
Documentary unravels Sharon Birchwood murder plot
Hunt on for killer of woman
Murder accused ‘calm and relaxed’ at death scene
Sharon Birchwood’s chilling message from the grave predicting her own murder
Sharon Birchwood’s brutal murder led police to Thailand in shocking kill plot

Naomi Hill

Photo of Naomi Hill, a small, curly-haired girl in a red shirt. She has auburn hair, fair skin, and brown eyes; she is smiling. Her hair is a little messy. Name: Naomi Hill.
Died: November 26, 2007.
Age at death: 4.
Cause of death: Drowned.
Location: Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales, UK.
Disability: Cerebral palsy.

Details:
Naomi’s mother drowned her in the bathtub because she was ashamed of Naomi’s cerebral palsy.

Case status:
Joanne Hill (Mother), convicted of murder, sentenced to 15 years to life.

Source:
Mother jailed for life for killing cerebral palsy daughter

Francecca Hardwick

Photo: A teenage girl, her brown hair cut short. She has fair skin and blue eyes. There is a gap between her two front teeth. She is wearing a yellow polo shirt. Name: Francecca “Frankie” Hardwick.
Died: October 23, 2007.
Age at death: 18.
Cause of death: Fire.
Location: Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Francecca’s mother locked herself and Francecca into their car and set it on fire. 18-year-old Frankie burned to death.

Francecca’s schoolteachers remember how she loved to jump in puddles, play on swings, and give massages.

Case status:
Fiona Pilkington (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Bullies ‘drove mother and daughter to fireball death’
Francecca Hardwick: portrait of a victim
A Pilkington Malaise? Have We Really Learnt the Lessons for 2020?

Barrie-John Horrell

Name: Barrie-John Horrell.
Died: July 22, 2006.
Age at death: 31.
Cause of death: Unknown murder; possibly strangled.
Location: Tirphil, Caerphilly, England, UK.
Disability: Intellectual disability.

Details:
Barrie-John’s cousins were angry that he had informed on them for a burglary, and wrongly suspected him of being a pedophile. They kidnapped him, took him to a remote location, killed him, and burned his body. At sentencing, the court remarked that Barrie-John, a shy man made vulnerable by his disability, saw his killers as friends.

Case Status:
Lee Davies (Cousin), convicted of murder, sentenced to 18½ years to life.
Brett Davies (Cousin), convicted of murder, sentenced to 17 years to life.

Sources:
Evil cousins murdered disabled man before baffling clue pointed finger of blame
Hillside murderers get life terms
LIFE for killer cousins

Ryan Davies

Name: Ryan Davies.
Died: April 12, 2006.
Age at death: 12.
Cause of death: Drowning.
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
Disability: Fragile X.

Details:
Ryan’s mother caused him to jump off a bridge, and then jumped off herself.

Ryan knew how to do wheelies on his bike.

Case status:
Alison Davies (Mother), deceased.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Ryan Davies
Ordeal that drove mum to suicide jump with autistic son
A mother and son smiling at the station. Then two specks on the edge of a bridge
Tragedy of mother and autistic son, 12

Patrick Markcrow

Name: Patrick Markcrow.
Died: March 29, 2005.
Age at death: 36.
Cause of death: Asphyxia.
Location: Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
Disability: Down syndrome, autism.

Details:
Patrick’s mother drugged him and then suffocated him with a plastic bag.

He attended a day center where carers described Patrick as “a loving, private man”, who enjoyed swimming and going to a local coffee shop.

Case status:
Wendolyn Markcrow (Mother); pled guilty to manslaughter; given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Source:
Autism Memorial: Patrick Markcrow
Mother who killed son with Down’s syndrome gets suspended sentence

Ida Heginbotham

No Photo Name: Ida Heginbotham.
Died: April 1, 2004.
Age at death: 87.
Cause of death: Blood loss.
Location: Preesall, Lancashire, England, UK.
Disability: Dementia, arthritis, hip replacements.

Details:
Ida’s husband cut her throat because he didn’t want her to be transferred to a dementia ward.

She was “a keen horsewoman” and the mother of six children.

Case status:
Bernard Heginbotham (Husband), pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility; given a 12-month community rehabilitation order and released.

Source:
Wheelchair-bound pensioner, 96, becomes one of UK’s oldest murder suspects
100-year-old cut his ailing wife’s throat in ‘act Husband, 100, spared jail for ‘act of love’ killing
Freedom for 100-year-old who killed his wife
BRITAIN’S OLDEST KILLER DIES AGE 102

Carry-Ann Brown

Photo of a teenage girl with short, curly brown hair and fair skin, wearing a teal-and-white sports jersey. Name: Carry-Ann Brown.
Died: August 17, 2003.
Age at death: 14.
Cause of death: Head injury.
Location: Cumbria, England, UK.
Disability: Developmental disability, epilepsy.

Details:
Carry-Anne’s abusive father hit her brothers and mother, but never her; instead, she was sexually abused. When she became pregnant with his baby, a judge ordered an abortion and a DNA test.

Carry-Anne’s father lured her away from her foster home, put her in the car, drugged her, and tried to kill them both in a deliberate car crash. She died of head injuries five days later; he survived.

Case status:
Sean Brown (Father), pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse and murder; sentenced to 19 years to life.

Source:
Brother speaks out about Dad who murdered and impregnated his sister
Life for man who killed daughter
Father crashed car to kill daughter
Carry Ann’s father jailed for 19 years
Foster home was in ‘her best interests’
‘Dad murdered my sister – but Jeremy Kyle Show made me feel like the criminal’