A son who murdered both of his parents by repeatedly stabbing them with knives before dismembering his father’s body has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.
At Preston Crown Court today, Lee Tipping, 36, who was found guilty of two counts of murder last month, received the severe minimum life sentence.
Jurors heard testimony during Tipping’s four-week trial that just hours after breaking down a bedroom door and starting a fight, he fatally stabbed his mother Patricia Livesey, 57, and father Anthony Tipping, 60.
In the vicious attack in November of last year, Anthony had been stabbed more than 130 times, including at least 65 times in the chest and 15 times in the abdomen.
They also learned that he had sustained a number of “very unusual” injuries to his genital region, which were allegedly sustained after his death.
Dr. Alison Armor, a pathologist, disagreed with Tipping’s assertion that he “chucked” a knife at his father and caused these wounds.
There are five stab wounds, she had informed the court. The infliction of two of these stab wounds required force.
“The other wounds are the result of a slashing motion that is inconsistent with a single “chuck,”” the report states.
Patricia had been stabbed 153 times, the court was informed, including 67 times in the chest, 39 times in the abdomen, 10 times in the neck, and three times in the area around the eyes.
Before they passed away, both parents had also been beaten; Patricia had a black eye and a shoulder injury consistent with being struck with a blunt object.
The court also learned that on the night of the attack, Patricia, of Higher Walton, Lancashire, texted her sister, “please God, I hope someone will help us.”
The couple went to a pub on November 19 of last year with Patricia’s sister Catherine Riding and her husband Martin.
The court was informed that Anthony’s son called him and said he had “kicked the bedroom door down.”
Anthony allegedly replied, “You’d better f****** not have,” to the statement.
Patricia appeared “anxious” about the circumstance, according to Mr. Riding, and Mrs. Riding testified in court that her sister appeared “scared to go home.”
She said: “This might be my last gin,” she added.
She was reluctant to return home. That was a really new statement from her.
She responded that she simply didn’t want to go home when I asked why. I was aware that something was there.
Around 11.30 p.m., not long after getting home, Patricia texted Mrs. Riding, saying, “OK, I’ll probably not sleep, he’s being a f****** shit.”
She sent the following text ten minutes later: “Please God, I hope someone will help us.”
Patricia didn’t show up for dinner the next day at her mother’s house, so Mrs. Riding and her other sister, Pauline Haworth, went to check on her.
On November 20, at 1:43 p.m., they dialled 999. Later that day, after police broke down a side door, the couple’s bodies were discovered in the upstairs of the house.
Tipping booked a flight to Rome after killing his parents, then drove to Manchester Airport and checked into a hotel there using a fictitious name, the court heard.
On November 21, around 7.30 p.m., he was apprehended and told police he had acted in self-defense.
He claimed to police that his father was “a monster” who would “fight to the death” and had “bullied him his entire life.”
Tipping admitted to killing his parents but denied murder, blaming his actions on self-defense, loss of control when his father was killed, and loss of control when his mother was killed.
And after a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court, a jury found Tipping guilty of two counts of murder after rejecting his defence.
‘I welcome the life sentence handed down to Lee Tipping by the courts, which reflects the seriousness of his offending and was aggravated by his lack of remorse,’ said Det Chief Insp Jill Johnston of the Force Major Investigation Team following the sentencing.
I hope that Tricia and Anthony’s families and friends can find some measure of comfort in the knowledge that this case has now come to a conclusion, even though no sentence can and will never fully atone for the horrific, prolonged, and violent attack Lee subjected his parents to.
“My thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time. They have maintained an incredible sense of dignity throughout this investigation.”