A businessman who has admitted killing his frail mother by stabbing her in the head with a carving knife remembers only grappling with his mother beforehand and later placing a knife in the bin afterwards, a jury has heard.
Mark Stephens, 44, told the jury at Swansea Crown Court he has no recollection of how he came to have the knife or a carving fork which were both used in the attack against his 67-year-old mother Rita.
He admits the manslaughter of his mother at the home their shared home in Tonteg, Pencoed, Bridgend , last June but he denies what happened was murder on the grounds of loss of control.
Read more: Businessman accused of murdering his mother initially told police she had fallen, court hears
Initially he had told police she might have fallen and that she was “tottery” after drinking.
The court heard that on the night she died Mr Stephens had been drinking for most of the day before going to the pub with his brother and later coming home to have a row with her.
Mr Stephens had moved back into the family home just weeks before following the breakdown his marriage, mounting personal and business debts, along with his spiralling drinking problem.
'Extreme drinking'
He told the court; “My drinking became extreme because I realised I was now, in effect, homeless.”
Mr Stephens said his mother had suggested he move in with after she ‘caught’ him sleeping one morning in the factory of their family upholstery firm.
“At this point I had concluded I was beyond fixing my own problem alcohol-wise,” he said.
“My hope was that in June the business would end and I could start my life over again with no debt.”
The court heard how his mother blamed him for her debts accrued by the family business and how she continually criticised her son’s heavy drinking and handling of the family finances.
'Talking to herself'
He had moved back into his childhood home on Monday, June 8, and told the court that at first the atmosphere was “upbeat and happy”.
But he said he discovered that his mother was also drinking more heavily than he had previously thought.
He described how his mother would drink a litre-and-a-half of wine or sherry at night and would “come out with things about a supposed affair with a neighbour 25 year before”.
“She was talking to herself, she was repeating herself, in drink, denying ever having had that affair. I was agreeing with her.
“Then she would switch to other topics like her debt and me being the reason for it. Then she would go off on another tangent. My drinking had been an issue for her for a number of years.”
Aerguing
The Jury was shown text messages sent in 2014 between Mr Stephens and his mother and between his mother and sister which made reference to his problem with alcohol and concerns about his handling of the business.
Mr Stephens described how, on the night his mother died, he had slept after drinking that afternoon, later going to the Britannia Inn with his brother where he drank one or two pints of lager, a small bottle of red wine, and a couple of double vodkas.
“In my head I was celebrating the end of the business,” he said.
Read more: Son killed mother with a carving knife after describing her as 'the epitome of evil', court told
Questioned by defence barrister Christopher Clee QC, Mr Stephens said he could not remember how he got home, only that it was light.
He said when he got home he believes his mother was asleep in the living room before waking up some time later.
“I was standing in front of the fireplace. I remember her going on at me about being drunk and arguing with me about her debts and the state of affairs she was in.
“I can’t recollect what state she was in. She said I was drunk again and leaving her with debts and wasn’t in a fit state to help her.”
'I got mad'
Asked what his reaction was, Stephens said; “I got mad. I start getting angry and I walked into the back room to get [records of] my debts.”
Mr Stephens described how he showed his mother paperwork for his £20,000 worth of debts, some of which were business debts he had been paying off.
Read more: Twin brother of man who admits killing their mother tells court he has 'chosen to forgive him'
He described slamming the pieces of paper one by one onto the floor.
“I said ‘I’m worried about this’. She doesn’t react. She doesn’t comprehend that I have my own problems, financially, let alone emotionally.”
Asked what happened next Mr Stephens said: “It’s vague but I think I put the papers back on the table in the back room. I don’t remember much beyond that. I don’t remember where I went then.”
He said the next thing he does remember is that it was dark outside and he was being shouted at by my mother.
'I snapped'
“She was shouting ‘Get out’. I looked outside and I could see it was dark. She was trying to grab hold of me to get me out and that’s when I snapped.
“In my head I’m thinking ‘I’ve lost everything because of you’ and I stood up and we grappled and I snapped.
“The only thing I remember then is having what I believe was a knife in my hand standing in the kitchen above the bin and pushing it into the flap, putting it into the bin.”
Stephens said he remembers nothing in between grabbing his mother when he said he “completely flipped” and when he stood at the bin.
“I’d lost it really, I’d got nowhere to go, I’d snapped,” he added.
“I’m saying this now in the cold light of day but I can’t compare how I am saying this to you now to then.”
The jury had previously been told the carving knife was driven six inches into Mrs Stephens’ brain and that she was also stabbed in the face with a matching carving fork and also suffered fractured ribs in what was called a “brutal” attack by her heavy-drinking son.
The trial continues.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/businessman-remembers-nothing-after-completely-10902286
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