Catford care home resident beat 93-year-old grandmother to death with metal walking stick
A care home resident in his 60s beat his 93-year-old neighbour to death with a metal walking stick.
A jury at the Old Bailey found that Alexander Rawson, 63, attacked and killed Eileen Dean less than two weeks after he moved into Fieldside care home in Catford.
Police were called at around 12.40am on Monday, January 4, after Mrs Dean was found in her bedroom with severe facial and head injuries.
She was rushed to hospital but died later the same day.
CCTV from the night of her death showed Rawson walking towards her bedroom, which was out of shot, holding a metal walking stick at around 10.20pm.
He was next seen on camera coming from the same direction around two hours later.
Rawson used his phone to call 999 and told the police operator: “I think somebody has been killed and I don’t know what’s happening… There’s loads of people dead here and I don’t know how it happened and I’m scared as hell because someone’s killed them all… There’s one person still alive.”
When care home staff arrived to investigate, Rawson pointed at Mrs Dean’s room and said: “She is dead.”
But in spite of her horrific injuries, at that point, the 93-year-old grandmother was still alive and appeared to mouth the word “help”.
The heavily bloodstained metal walking stick was lying next to her on her bed.
It has since been revealed that Rawson was moved into the care sector after spending months in hospital, sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
He was placed at Fieldside care home despite being more than 20 years younger and physically much stronger than most of the residents.
Rawson was unfit to stand trial and so the jury were asked to decide whether he did the act charged against him.
He will be sentenced on Monday, December 20.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts remain with Eileen’s family who have been through an incredibly traumatic experience and conducted themselves with the utmost respect and dignity throughout this trial process.
“Eileen was a completely defenceless woman whose life was suddenly taken away in a horrific manner.
“She had already been through a great deal, losing her husband almost 30 years ago, but she was described as a calm, quiet and lovely woman by all those who knew her.
“We hope her children and grandchildren have the space to grieve together now the trial is complete and to remember Eileen for the wonderful woman she was.”