Merseyside man sentenced to life for killing his mum and sister
A man's been jailed for life for killing his mum and sister in Bootle last year.
A Merseyside man has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of his 57-year-old mother, Bernadette, and 27-year-old sister, Sarah, in Bootle in April 2015.
The Judge also imposed a restriction under Section 45a of the Mental Health Act on Peter Fox, which means he will be treated at Ashworth Hospital until he is deemed fit to be transferred to prison.
Detectives launched an investigation on Friday, 17 April 2015 following the discovery of the bodies of Bernadette and Sarah Fox at two separate addresses in Bootle (Bernadette was found at her home in Brookhill Road and her daughter, Sarah, was found at her home in Worcester Road).
Post mortem examinations carried out at the time established that Bernadette Fox died as a result of asphyxiation, whilst Sarah Fox died from multiple stab wounds.
Following the discovery of the bodies it was established that Peter Fox had left the region and detectives issued an appeal to the public with a description of Fox and CCTV images of him in a bid to find him. He was arrested at 7.50am on 20 April 2015 by British Transport Police at Euston Station after being spotted by a member of the public who had seen the media appeals, which had also been distributed on behalf of Merseyside Police by the Metropolitan Police in London.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Rooney said: "There is no doubt that Peter Fox was mentally ill at the time he took the lives of his mother and sister. However, we will never be able to comprehend why he undertook the course of action he did, and it must be remembered that a family is still trying to come to terms with the tragic and untimely loss of their loved ones. Our thoughts today are rightly with Bernadette and Sarah’s family, who have shown great strength and dignity throughout the investigation and trial process."
He added: "I would like take this opportunity to thank the investigation team for their commitment and tenacity throughout the investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service for preparing this case for court. I would also like to thank the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, the media and the public who called us with information about the whereabouts of Peter Fox following our media appeals, for their support which lead to the arrest of Peter Fox."
In a victim impact statement prepared on behalf of the family of Bernadette and Sarah, the family said: "It is absolutely unbelievable that we all find ourselves in this horrendous situation. Never in a million years could any of us have foreseen such an awful act would happen in our family. Our lives have been ripped apart and we have lost two beautiful people at the hands of someone who should have protected them, yet their own flesh and blood did the opposite.
"Words cannot express the pain and anguish have endured since their murders. Peter's decision to take the lives of his own mum and sister with no regard for the effects it may have on others is unimaginable. The loss of Berna and Sarah is beyond words. There will be no more birthdays, parties, celebrations or any other family activities. The laughter, hugs, conversations, phone calls, texts, random knocks at the door and seeing two smiling faces and those opportunities to say I love you are forever gone and our family is forever broken."
The statement continued: "He has taken the lives of two special people and in doing so destroyed the lives of so many others. We will probably never know the reasons why he did this awful thing, but he needs to realise what he's done and serve time for taking the lives of his mother and sister."