Student jailed for life after 'truth or dare' murder of his step-dad's mother
He burnt down the 94 year-old's Heysham bungalow
Last updated 12th Nov 2021
A student who admitted to murdering his step-dad's mother in a house fire as part of a Truth or Dare game has been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in custody.
Tiernan Darnton has been sentenced today (12 November) at Preston Crown Court after burning down the 94-year-old's Heysham bungalow in 2018.
After the blaze, she was found under a table in the conservatory of her home on May 28, 2018 but died in hospital four days later.
The family of Mary Gregory, 94, thought she was the victim of a tragic accident as an inquest ruled three years ago she died from a dropped or carelessly discarded cigarette. Her cause of death was originally given as pneumonia and smoke inhalation.
However, police reopened the case a year later following a confession from Tiernan Darnton, 21, during a counselling session in which he said he killed Mrs Gregory - his stepfather's mother - by using a lighter to set a curtain on fire at her bungalow in Heysham, Lancashire.
Therapy confession
It has emerged that Darnton had told two of his friends his "darkest secret" several weeks after Mrs Gregory's death, during a game of Truth or Dare.
He told the pair: "I have a secret I haven't told anyone. I may have killed someone."
When asked to elaborate, he told his friends he started the fire because he did not want Mrs Gregory to suffer from dementia any longer, Preston Crown Court heard.
Darnton's friends did not believe him and he persuaded them to keep quiet.
However, he told a counsellor in May 2019 about a friend "who could send me to prison cos of what he knows".
Darnton said to the councillor that he had felt "powerful" at an event involving a person who had died - now thought to be Mrs Gregory's funeral - as he "knew what had happened and everyone else in the room didn't".
The female counsellor ended the session by saying to him "I'm not really clear what you're saying but I think you're trying to tell me you've killed someone", to which Darnton mouthed "yes".
A week later he told both the counsellor and his 66-year-old stepfather Chris Gregory that he had started the fire.
The counsellor then told the police, the court was told.
Darnton’s laptop was seized following his arrest which revealed internet searches from the days after the fire including; “Mental health support for murderers”, “Feeling guilty for murder.” and “I’m a monster and I’m going to hell.”
"Concoction of lies in an effort to evade justice"
Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo from Lancashire Police Force Major Incident Team said: “Darnton regularly visited Mrs Gregory’s home after her son took him under his wing at a young age. Darnton would spend time at Mrs Gregory’s bungalow and not only took advantage of Mrs Gregory’s kind nature, he also used his access to her home to meticulously plan his murderous act.
“From his initial arrest and throughout Darnton has protested his innocence and put forward a concoction of lies in an effort to evade justice. And so, I want to express my gratitude to the prosecution team who have worked tirelessly to disprove those lies over many months and provided the catalogue of evidence which has ultimately proven his guilt.
“Our thoughts remain very much with Mrs Gregory’s family and friends. We hope this verdict provides them with some form of closure and they can now start moving forward with their lives.”