Woman, 93, beaten to death with stick by fellow care home resident

A 93-year-old woman was beaten to death with a walking stick by a fellow care home resident, a jury has found.

Eileen Dean was attacked in her bedroom at Fieldside in Catford, south-east London, on January 3 by her mentally ill neighbour Alexander Rawson.

Rawson, 63, had moved into the bedroom next to Dean a few weeks before, having previously been detained under the Mental Health Act and been an in-patient at two south London hospitals since last July, the Old Bailey heard.

The court heard how Dean, who suffered from dementia, was beaten repeatedly with a metal walking stick causing severe injuries to her face, head and upper body.

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.”

He went on to tell the operator: “I think I might have done something wrong.”

Dean had suffered multiple fractures to facial bones and traumatic brain injury, and died in hospital.

A blood-stained metal walking stick in her room had Rawson’s fingerprint on it.

At the time of the attack, the grandmother had been self-isolating in her room as she recovered from Covid-19.

She had lived at the care home since June 2020 and was described by staff as “very calm, lovely and quiet”.

Despite her age, she was independent and only required support for her personal care, jurors were told.

Rawson had been charged with murder but was deemed unfit to stand trial.

He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 20.