Killer placed in psychiatric care

Valerie Twyman's grandson was originally charged with her murder

A man who stabbed his 62-year-old grandmother to death on Christmas Day will be placed in psychiatric care.

Maxwell Twyman killed Valerie Twyman as she lay in bed at their home in Ramsgate, Kent, in 2007.

The 25-year-old was originally charged with murder but admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility at Maidstone Crown Court in June.

Judge Michael Lawson QC gave Twyman a hospital order in line with doctors' recommendations.

A restriction order was also made to safeguard against premature future discharge while under supervision.

Anniversary close

The judge said: "Violent death always causes distress.

"When it is the death of a beloved grandmother caused by one of her grandsons it is difficult to imagine the extent of the sadness, anger and bewilderment of the family.

"The court extends its sympathy, as far as it can, especially as the anniversary approaches."

The court heard that 15 separate stab wounds were found on the woman's head and upper body, some inflicted in rapid sequence and others with severe force.

Twyman later went to another relative's house in Ramsgate to tell family members what he had done.

Two psychiatrists concluded he had a psychotic illness, most probably paranoid schizophrenia or a persistent delusional disorder.

I've killed my grandmother. Don't make a big thing of it Maxwell Twyman

Prosecutor Alan Kent told the court that Twyman moved in with his grandmother in February last year following his parents' divorce.

The court heard how, after the attack, Twyman went round to the home of his aunt and uncle, Michelle and David Lloyd, where he appeared happy and relaxed, before bluntly telling them: "I've killed my grandmother."

He added: "Don't make a big thing of it."

He told them: "She's always been a burden, that's why I'm depressed."

Twyman claimed she had put faeces in his mouth at a party in 2003 and then made apparent references to killing other relatives that day, which he did not want children to see.

The court heard Twyman had smoked skunk cannabis since the age of 14, which altered his mood and made him depressed.

Mr Kent added: "The Twyman family is a large and close family. They feel very much the loss of a much-loved mother and grandmother."

Oliver Saxby, mitigating, said the killing had been committed by "a very sick man".