Teenager stabbed his grandmother to death in a 'frenzied attack' in Sussex, court hears

A court has heard that a teenager stabbed his grandmother to death in a "frenzied attack" at her home in Sussex.

Pietro Addis, 19, is on trial for the murder of Sue Addis, who was found dead at her home in Cedar Gardens in Withdean on 7 January 2021.

Sue Addis, 69, was the owner of a restaurant in Brighton, and was a well-known figure in the local community. Her chain of Italian restaurants were popular with celebrities and footballers.

A jury of four men and eight women was sworn in on Monday (20 February) at Lewes Crown Court.

They heard how Mr Addis, who was 17 at the time, and had been living with Sue Addis for little over a week after leaving his father's home due to "worrying behaviour".

Crown barrister Rossano Scamardella KC told the court that Pietro Addis murdered his grandmother in a "frenzied" attack, stabbing her 17 times, and that this came after months of concern among family and friends over his "withdrawn" behaviour and drug use.

Two 999 calls were played to the court where in one of them, the teenager told the operator "there's been a murder".

On Monday the court heard that it is Pietro Addis's defence that he was suffering from paranoid psychosis at the time, and he is therefore pleading not-guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

It is the Crown's case that he suffered no such psychosis and bears complete responsibility for killing his grandmother.

The judge, Christine Laing QC, explained to the jury that the case had been partially heard before but had not reached a conclusion for "for a variety of reasons."

Pietro Addis, from Hove, admits manslaughter but denies murder.

The trial expected to last 2 to 3 weeks.