'Loving son' kills parents

'Loving son' kills parents

A man killed his elderly parents to end their suffering, the Old Bailey has heard.

Daniel Gardner suffocated his parents as they slept placing their arms around each other so that they would be together in death, the court was told.

He had become depressed as he looked after his father Stanley, 79, who was terminally ill, and his 83-year-old mother, who had Alzheimer's disease.

Gardner, 51, of south London, had pleaded not guilty to murdering the couple.

His pleas of guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility were accepted by the court.

He has a history of being a loving son who had devoted the entirety of his life to the care, support and companionship of his aged parents

John Ryder QC

He placed plastic bags over his parents' heads as they slept in the early hours of 4 March last year before trying to kill himself.

Gardner cut his own throat with two knives, put a plastic bag over his head and took morphine.

But the morphine may have saved his life by slowing the bleeding.

And he was found by local authority carers at the family home in Walmer Terrace, Plumstead.

'Hopeless and alone'

John Ryder QC, defending, said: "He has a history of being a loving son who had devoted the entirety of his life to the care, support and companionship of his aged parents.

"He brought to an end the suffering of his father and the indignity of his mother.

"With the end of their lives he saw the end of his own seeing no future without them."

Mark Heywood, prosecuting, said a doctor's report had said "He was depressed, hopeless and alone but not callous."

Another doctor had said: "He only saw one option available to him - the death of his parents."

Outside court, Detective Sergeant Gary Page said: "He wanted them to be a loving family to the end. It is very tragic."

Gardner was given conditional bail until 16 May.

Judge Richard Hawkins told him the bail was indication as to how he would be sentenced.

Mr Gardner's father had been terminally ill with blood poisoning and a heart condition and his mother's Alzheimer's disease was advanced.