Woking man who murdered elderly mother sentenced to 19 years in prison

A man who murdered his elderly mother at their family home in Woking has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

47 year old Philip Christian Tarver of Julian Close was also handed an 18 month sentence for threatening to kill his father.

86 year old Angela Tarver was killed in her home on Thursday, 19 December 2019.

Philip Christian Tarver was arrested at the scene and detained under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act.

He was charged and following a four week-long trial at the Central Criminal Court,.

Philip was found guilty of murder and making threats to kill on Monday (5 October).

A forensic post-mortem examination showed that Angela died from a single stab wound.

Her family are being supported by specially trained officers.

Today (8 October) Philip Tarver appeared at the Central Criminal Court where he was sentenced to 19 years for Angela Tarver’s murder and 18 months for threatening to kill his father.

The sentences will be served concurrently.

Three separate psychiatrists agreed that Philip had no underlying mental health disorder, but that he had been in the grip of psychosis brought on by cannabis and cocaine on the night he killed his mother.

Jailing him for life with a minimum term of 19 years on Thursday, Judge Anne Molyneux QC described the killing as "a tragedy'' but accepted that Tarver would not have harmed his mother if he had not been in a state of acute psychosis.

But she said: (The psychosis) was not caused by alcohol.

It was induced by your voluntary consumption of prohibited drugs - this means that a verdict of manslaughter by diminished responsibility was not afforded to you.''

Philip's father Colin Tarver said in a victim impact statement:

"I have lost my best friend and the love of my life, she was the light of my life and now that light has gone out, cruelly extinguished.''

He described his anguish at his son's decision to try and pin the killing on him, saying: "There have been nights where I have been unable to sleep and have lain awake replaying the accusations that have been made towards me wondering what on earth I could have done to make Philip say those things about me.''

He thanked the jury, some of whom had returned for the sentencing hearing, saying:

"(The jury) have had to listen to and view evidence that would have been unpleasant for them to hear and see.

"I am truly thankful for their forbearance and patience.''