Son jailed after murdering parents

A Preston man has today been jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering his parents.

Lee Tipping was told he would have to serve a minimum of 27 years before he is eligible to go before the Parole Board, who will then decide whether he should be released.

Last month a jury at Preston Crown Court found Tipping guilty of the murders of Tricia Livesey and Anthony Tipping, in their Higher Walton home in the early hours of November 20, last year.

Police were called at 1.40pm on November 20 to a concern for the safety of the occupants of the property in Cann Bridge Street. Officers forced entry and sadly found Tricia, 57, and Anthony, 60, deceased inside the address.

A Home Office post-mortem examination showed that they both died from multiple stab wounds.

Lee Tipping was arrested on suspicion of murder and was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.  After a full review he was deemed fit for interview and after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service he was charged with both murders.

Tipping admitted to killing his parents but denied murder, claiming self-defence and loss of control against his father and loss of control in relation to the death of his mother.

IMAGE: Tricia Livesey and Anthony Tipping.

Following a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court, a jury rejected his defence and found Tipping guilty of two counts of murder.

Det Chief Insp Jill Johnston, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “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.

“Although no sentence can and will never make up for the horrific, sustained and violent attack Lee subjected his parents to, I hope that Tricia and Anthony’s families and friends get some sense of closure knowing that this case has now come to a conclusion. They have remained incredibly dignified throughout this investigation and my thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time.”