Grandson who stabbed grandmother 17 times at her Brighton home jailed for killing

A teenager who stabbed his grandmother to death in Brighton has been jailed for 15 years.

Sue Addis was found dead at her home in Cedars Garden on January 7, 2021.

Pietro Addis now aged 20, of Ring Road, Lancing, admitted killing his 69-year-old grandmother, but was acquitted of murder by a jury at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, (3 March).

Addis pleaded not guilty due to his responsibility being diminished as a result of paranoid psychosis.

He has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, consisting of 10 years in custody and five years on extended licence.

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.

During the trial, the court heard how Pietro 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".

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

The court heard that he was suffering from paranoid psychosis at the time, and he therefore pleaded not-guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "This is a tragic case in which a much-loved grandmother, who was widely respected in the Brighton and Hove community, has lost her life in the most terrible circumstances.

"Our thoughts remain with the Addis family and loved ones who have behaved with dignity and compassion throughout this harrowing ordeal.”

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