Lee Tipping denies murder
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A man accused of murdering his parents by stabbing them over 100 times each has told a court his father was a cruel, manipulative bully.
Lee Tipping admits to stabbing his parents Anthony Tipping, 60, and Patricia Livesey, 57, to death upstairs at their home in Higher Walton, Lancashire, on November 20 2021, but denies murder, saying he was trying to defend himself against his father.
Giving evidence at Preston Crown Court today (24 June), the 36-year-old says he lost control during a confrontation with his dad, who had returned from the pub and started calling him cruel names, saying he felt “hurt” and “destroyed” by the encounter, reports LancsLive.
READ MORE: Woman spared jail for killing beloved mum, 43, who was 'doing the thing she loved'
“Someone who is supposed to care for you, be there for you and support you was just annihilating me,” he said.
Tipping told the court he had broken his parents bedroom door while trying to order a pizza using the landline, which was located in their locked bedroom, and after trying to repair it, had called his dad to admit what he had done – resulting in a heated exchange when Anthony Tipping got home.
He said that, after he called with a “peace offering” of a new door, Anthony Tipping replied: "You'd better not have", before texting his son telling him "f*** off. Don't call or text". Lee Tipping said he was worried there would be trouble when Anthony and Patricia returned from the pub.
Tipping told the court he was lying on his bed, listening to music on Spotify when his parents came home. He heard his father coming up the stairs, shouting insults relating to his mental health and saying he should be locked up.
The defendant, who had recently passed his driving test and was undertaking a SIA security training course in the hope of gaining work, said: “I was trying. I was doing the training course. I wanted to go to the school of music. It made me feel this big (gestures)".
Tipping said he locked his bedroom door but as the shouting continued he went on to the landing to confront his dad. "We started fighting. It got nasty.", he said. "My mum was screaming for us to stop. She shouted help. This is when the knife came in and I had to pull it out of his hand."
Tipping told the court his "head went" and he started "hacking at everything". "I lost control. I lost the plot. I just started hacking at him. I didn't intend to do anything. That night I just wanted to stay at home, go to sleep", he said.
He described the scene as being "like Friday 13th or a dream." After killing his parents, Tipping said he sat on the landing with his head in his hands, wondering what was going on. "It was all very dream-like", he said. "I had to get away from it all. I couldn't be in the house any longer. I could just see everything in my head. I couldn't believe what had happened. I wanted to get as far away as I could."
Tipping got in his car and drove towards Manchester Airport but a glitch in his Satnav routed him to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. When he arrived he realised he did not have a Covid pass to travel and turned round to go home.
He told the court he collected his laptop, his dad's mobile phone and bank card and sat outside the house for three or four hours before heading to Manchester Airport. He said he planned to go away for a week or so to clear his head before coming back to face what he had done.
He searched flights and went for a drink at the Airport Pub before taking a taxi to a Premier Inn in Manchester City Centre where he was arrested. On Sunday November 21 Tipping underwent surgery for injuries to his hands which he sustained "while battling".
Following an assessment he was taken to a secure unit at Guild Lodge. As he arrived at the hospital, he said: "I panicked. I was fighting one against two. I didn't want this. I didn't want any trouble, I was going to start the next week, a fresh week. I'd got the car – he was like a raging bull."
In the witness box, Tipping said he was looking forward to Christmas and New Year with his parents and using the qualification he was working towards to gain employment as security for pubs, supermarkets and music festivals. He hoped to leave home and take a music course in Salford to follow his dream of being a DJ.
However he admitted he had stopped taking his medication, which was prescribed after he was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, OCD and anxiety. He said the week before the incident he had not been sleeping and was going downhill mentally.
Tipping denies murder, claiming he lost control while defending himself against his father. He will continue to give evidence on Monday.
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