A son has been convicted of a brutal double murder of his parents - stabbing them 184 times in a frenzied attack. After killing them at their home in Lancashire, Lee Tipping fled the scene of the crime and later tried to make a getaway from Manchester Airport but lost his nerve.
Tipping, 36, was today found guilty of the shocking double murder of his parents Anthony Tipping and Patricia Livesey by a jury following a trial at Preston Crown Court. He claimed he acted in self defence when he knifed his dad 131 times in his chest and even his eyes.
He then said he lost control and turned the blade on his mum, stabbing her 153 times. But the jury dismissed Tipping's claims and found he was the aggressor in the frenzied attack at the house in Cann Bridge Street in Higher Walton, Lancashire, on November 19, 2021.
READ MORE: ‘Kind, caring and bubbly’ builder, 26, 'followed by other car' prior to fatal crash, inquest hears
He used a kettlebell to inflict injuries on Anthony, 60, and used an aerosol and lighter to launch a flamethrower at his face. Neighbours heard Patricia, 56, screaming 'oh no Lee, what have you done?' at around midnight. But as the tiny six-stone woman, who had recently recovered from a life threatening illness, tried to stand in his way she became Tipping's next target.
Tipping told the jury he sat at the top of the stairs with his head in his hands, thinking 'why has this happened to me?'. He then drove to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in a bid to flee the country, before returning to the house to collect his laptop, stepping straight past his mum's body on the landing.
The next day, members of Tricia's family became concerned when she did not turn up for her usual Saturday lunch date with her mum. When they could not contact Tricia, Anthony or Lee by telephone, they called the police who found the bodies in the upstairs of the pristine home.
By this time Tipping was on his way to Manchester Airport and had booked a flight to Sweden but he lost his nerve when he saw police at the airport and caught a taxi to a Premier Inn in Manchester city centre where he was arrested.
He told police: "I was just standing up to him. He came at me with a knife." The jury dismissed his account that he was acting in self defence and found him unanimously guilty of the murder of Anthony Tipping. They also dismissed his account his 'head went' and he lost control, killing his parents in a frenzy after years of abuse from his father.
As the foreman delivered guilty verdicts to two counts of murder, gasps and shouts of 'yes' could be heard from the packed public gallery. Tipping showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered however as he was led away to the cells, he turned to the public gallery and shouted: "You've ruined my life."
He will be sentenced on July 28. Jim Mowbray, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS North West said: “Lee Tipping carried out a violent and brutal attack on both his parents, intending to kill them both. He showed them no mercy whilst he stabbed them hundreds of times. He then attempted to leave the country and when arrested, he provided a fabricated account in an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for his actions.
“The CPS worked with Lancashire police to put a strong case before the jury, including witness testimony, forensic evidence, cell site analysis to show Lee Tipping`s movements before, during and after the murders and psychiatric reports to refute the various claims that he had put forward to explain his actions. After carefully considering the overwhelming evidence against him the jury convicted him of both murders.
“I hope following today’s verdicts, Anthony and Patricia’s family and friends can begin to move on with their lives knowing justice has been done. My thoughts are with them at this time.”
Tipping was known to have mental health issues, having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia around 17 years ago and was hospitalised twice, according to the CPS. He had previously claimed his responsibility was diminished when he stabbed his parents to death but when two independent psychiatrists failed to support his assertion, it wasn’t taken any further.
His defence at trial was that he was acting in self-defence and suffered a loss of control when he stabbed his father and he had suffered a loss of control in stabbing his mother.
Det Chief Insp Jill Johnston, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: "This is an utterly tragic case that saw the very two people who loved and cared for Lee Tipping more than anyone else in the world, having had their lives taken away by him. Tricia and Anthony devoted their lives to their son and they did everything for him. Despite this Lee subjected them both to the most horrific, sustained and violent attack last year, that resulted in their deaths.
"Lee has shown no remorse for his actions and we know that he made extensive efforts to flee the country prior to his arrest in Manchester on the day after the murders. He has maintained self-defence and loss of control as the reason behind the killings, failing to accept any personal responsibility for the consequences of his ferocious attacks. Lee has subjected the families of both Tricia and Anthony to a four-week trial, prolonging the upset and heart felt grief that has rippled through the close community in which they had lived for all of their lives.
"Sadly, this verdict today provides no relief from the tragic loss that Tricia and Anthony’s families and friends have suffered. They have remained incredibly dignified throughout this investigation and my thoughts remain with them at this incredibly difficult time."
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
