Family of murdered widow slam social services and care home after man beat her to death
‘Mum’s life should NEVER have ended this way’: Family of murdered widow, 93, slam social services and care home after mentally-ill man, 63, was put in room beside her in lockdown before he beat her to death with a walking stick
Alexander Rawson, 63, used a crutch to attack ‘kind and caring’ Eileen Dean, 93Grandmother-of-five was in her bedroom at Fieldside in Catford, South London Mrs Dean had been self-isolating with Covid-19 and suffered multiple fracturesHer daughter Georgina Hampshaw said she felt ‘let down’ by social services and the care home
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The family of a 93-year-old widow who was beaten to death by a mentally ill man have slammed social services and the care home where the attack took place for ‘letting them down’.
Alexander Rawson, 63, was today locked up in hospital indefinitely after he used a crutch to attack ‘kind and caring’ grandmother-of-five Eileen Dean in her bedroom at Fieldside Care Home in Catford, South London, on January 3.
Afterwards, Rawson phoned 999 in a state of distress and agitation, and said: ‘I think somebody’s been killed and I don’t know what’s happening.’
Mrs Dean, who had been self-isolating with Covid-19, suffered multiple fractures to facial bones and traumatic brain injury, and died in hospital.
Her daughter Georgina Hampshaw wept as she told the court she felt ‘let down’ by social services and the care home.
Mrs Hampshaw struggled to understand how ‘such a wicked and callous crime had happened to her – especially committed in a care home where I thought she was safe and being cared for and protected’.
‘My mum’s life should never have ended this way.’
Alexander Rawson (left), 63, used a crutch to attack ‘kind and caring’ Eileen Dean (right), 93
The court heard how Rawson had moved into the bedroom next door to Mrs Dean in late December last year.
London was effectively in lockdown at the time having been placed under Tier 4 restrictions, with the official national lockdown beginning days later on January 4.
Previously, he had been detained under the Mental Health Act and been an in-patient at two south London hospitals run by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust since last July.
During his time in hospital, Rawson had threatened staff with a knife and scissors, reports the BBC.
He was later moved into Fieldside Care Home where he scared a staff member by swearing and waving a walking stick at her.
Rawson, who suffers a degenerative brain condition commonly associated with alcohol abuse, was found unfit to stand trial for murder.
Rawson attacked Mrs Dean in her bedroom at Fieldside in Catford, South London, on January 3. A forensics van is pictured at the scene on January 5
Following a trial of the facts at the Old Bailey, he was found by a jury to have attacked and killed Mrs Dean.
Today, Mrs Dean’s daughter Georgina Hampshaw wept as she told the court she felt ‘let down’ by social services and the care home.
Reading a victim impact statement, Mrs Hampshaw described her mother as a kind, cheerful and energetic lady who ‘never lost her sense of humour’.
In her prime, Mrs Dean had loved music halls, where she met her late husband Charlie, and her ‘party piece’ was the Charleston dance, the court heard.
Police at the scene outside Fieldside in Catford, South London, on January 5
Following the attack, Mrs Hampshaw told the court the mother-of-three had been left almost unrecognisable.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Marco Picchioni, who was treating Rawson, told the court he would need to be detained in a secure psychiatric unit.
The BBC was told Rawson’s social worker, a psychiatrist and a member of staff from Fieldside Care Home held a meeting to decide where to place Rawson after being in the care of hospitals in South London. They decided to place in him Fieldside.
The Fieldside Care home provides accommodation for adults who require nursing or personal care, and people who suffer from dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.
Rawson was distressed by the move and was believed to be suffereing from early-onset dementia and depression.
After Mrs Dean’s death, he told police: ‘I was on a mission or the world would die. I did what I had to do.’
Judge Alexia Durran handed Rawson a hospital order without limit of time.
The judge said Rawson posed an ongoing threat to the public, citing his threats of violence with a butter knife, scissors and walking stick.
South London and Maudsley NHS trust said its investigation is ongoing and is expected to be completed next year.
