Man sentenced to hospital order after murder of his mother in an Essex property
Sebastian Compton, 47, will be detained to Brockfield House, Wickford after murdering his mother whilst suffering from an "acute psychotic" episode
Last updated 21st Nov 2024
A man has been sentenced to a hospital order after the death of his mother in Great Baddow near Chelmsford.
Sebastian Compton, 47, appeared virtually at Chelmsford Crown Court on 21st November.
He has been sentenced to a hospital order under section 37 with a section 41 restriction.
The court heard that Compton was suffering from an “acute psychotic episode” during the time of the incident after having "voluntarily" stopped his anti-psychosis medication for six months.
Michele Romano, 68, was found dead at Readers Court on 9th February after being stabbed “multiple times” by her son.
Compton pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reasons of diminished responsibility on 14th October.
Prosecution, Andrew Jackson, told the court: The evidence by Dr. Raman Deo and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, both of whom were in complete agreement, was that the explanation for the killing of Michele Romano was because, at the time of the killing, the defendant was experiencing an episode of acute psychosis.”
Mr Jackson went on to read out a statement by Compton's stepfather, Thierry Romano, that read "the emotional toll of this is unbearable."
"He refers to what he sees as failings."
"Why was it allowed to happen?" is the question asked by Romano.
"Why was the mental health team not monitoring him. Those are the questions I desperately need answer to, but fear I will never get." said the prosecution, reading out Thierry Romano's statement.
"At about 2.30pm on 9 February this year the defendant had been at his flat and it was there that he killed Michele." said the prosecution.
"Michele was a regular visitor to his flat, she would go there to make sure that the defendant was alright, was coping, and to look out for him."
Compton had been spotted by passers by on the road near to Readers Court when they called the police.
Paramedics approached the defendant who "appeared to be calm at that point" the court heard.
He was asked if he was alright to which he replied "not really. I’ve just killed my mum."
When asked how he’d done that, he said he'd stabbed her "about 20 times".
He then asked to be taken to a mental health unit and continued to "multiple times", the court heard.
Michele Romano was found "behind the kitchen door" in the property at Readers Court.
The prosecution told the court "her clothing was drenched in blood and there was considerable blooding on walls and kitchen units. Next to her body was a heavily blooded kitchen knife."
"She was plainly dead at that point" said Mr Jackson.
Later examination by a pathologist showed she had sustained a “significant number of stab wounds to her face, scalp, arms and particularly her torso."
In September 2024, Compton told police: “it wasn’t me. It was psychosis, it was an act of God. I don’t know why I did it. Taking someone’s life is not good.”
Consultant forensic psychiatrist, Dr Deo, who's been monitoring Compton for several weeks, told the court: "the defendant was experiencing an episode of acute psychosis because he had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication. Failure to take medication that led to the acute psychotic episode - that was the explanation for the killing.”
Her honour judge Mary Loram told the court "the defendant has no previous convictions, previously good character, and plainly there was an absence of pre-meditation or pre-planning."
In responding to Thierry Romano's statement, she said: 'It is a tragedy that there is nothing this court can do to answer that awful question, “what if”'.
The court heard: the defendant was suffering from "paranoid schizophrenia" - a condition he’d been suffering from "for a number of years".
The defendant was initially "“not fit to plead” however once the defendant was treated in a secure mental health unit, he became fit to plead.
"This defendant took his medication for 16 years without incident."
The judge told the court: "What is of significance here, is that the defendant stopped taking his medication in the weeks leading up to the killing of his mother."
“I am satisfied that appropriate order is hospital order under section 37 with section 41 restrictions" says Judge Loram.
Mr Compton will be moved to Brockfield House, Witham, in the next 28 days where he will be detained and monitored.