Man Jailed for Bludgeoning to Death Mother He Called ‘Brexit-Voting Halfwit’

37-year-old Robert Child from Kings Drive, Thingwall, Wirral, was sentenced on September 8
Merseyside Police
Victoria Friedman

A sports psychologist who branded his mother a “Brexit-voting halfwit” and bludgeoned her to death so that he could continue to finance his “fantasy lifestyle” has been jailed for at least 29 years.

The court had heard 37-year-old Robert Child from the Wirral, Liverpool, had on March 6th fatally struck his mother, 64-year-old Janice Child, in the face and neck 31 times.

The jury was told how Child was living well beyond his means, having travelled to Barcelona, Disneyland Paris, and London before the murder, leaving him with just £1.01 in his bank account. He also had a combined £32,000 in debts to loans and credit cards, as well as £16,000 in county court judgements, according to the BBC.

While the 37-year-old admitted to the murder, he claimed that he had not killed his mother for financial gain. However, he had transferred £25,000 from his mother’s account to his own minutes after leaving his mother’s house on the day of the murder and bought a used Jaguar for £14,000 the day after.

During the trial, Liverpool Crown Court heard how Child had made disparaging comments about his mother to a colleague when she suggested he buy emergency food supplies at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, calling her “the Brexit-voting halfwit”.

Officers found the 64-year-old dead in her home in Woolton, Liverpool, on March 7th after neighbours had called police when they heard her dog barking. She was found in a utility room under the staircase, with investigators believing she had been struck with a hammer and one other weapon. The victim had been living alone at the time as her husband Stanley, who has since passed away, was in a care home suffering from dementia.

The psychologist tried to cover his tracks by faking phone calls from his mother’s mobile phone to his, but police eventually caught him after they discovered his fingerprint in his mother’s blood on the door, and a bus ticket putting him in the area at the time of the murder.

He also claimed that he was driven to murder after finding out that his mother had been using multiple Twitter accounts to troll his estranged wife. However, authorities found no evidence that Mrs Child even had one Twitter account. Child was already seeing another woman at the time of the murder and told investigators that he was planning a wedding, despite still being legally married.

During sentencing on Monday, Judge Watson called Child a “selfish narcissist” who murdered his mother in a “spiteful” attack when he realised “his fantasy lifestyle would collapse”. The judge also branded Child a “prolific liar” who lied about finishing his PhD, claimed that he had worked in combat zones for the British Ministry of Defence, and was a football scout for Manchester United.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Rhodes of Merseyside Police said: “Robert Child brutally murdered his mother in an appalling violent attack. Ever since committing the offence, he has gone to great lengths to try to lie and cheat his way out of the consequences of his actions, in the same way as he has lied his way through life. We’re pleased that the courts have not accepted any of these accounts, and today he starts a significant prison sentence.

“The death of Janice is a tragedy which has affected everyone involved, and we hope that today’s outcome at least provides some comfort for those who knew her. Although nothing can bring Janice back, the strongest possible justice has at least been served.”

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