Inquest into the deaths of mother and son from Berkshire concludes

An inquest into the deaths of a mother and son from Berkshire has returned verdicts of unlawful killing and suicide.

The coroner found that Julian Bracken, 18, stabbed his mother Mayawati Bracken, before going on to take his own life at Pangbourne Railway Station.

At the conclusion of the inquest, the coroner said that the events on 4 January 2024 were tragic but clear.

Mrs Mayawati Bracken, 56, had intended to drive her son Julian back to Radley College in Oxford, but shortly after they left the house he stabbed her in the chest with a knife he'd taken from home.

Julian was found a short time later at Pangbourne railway station.

During the hearing, which was attended by some of the neighbours, the inquest heard that witnesses saw Mrs Bracken's car rolling down Flowers Hill where they lived, onto the A340 Tidmarsh Road.

Emergency services were called and a member of the public administered CPR but Mrs Bracken died at the scene.

The court heard that witnesses reported seeing Julian leave the car.

One said he appeared to be carrying a knife and was heading in the direction of the train station.

Thames Valley Police said it had appeared to be a normal family day and that there was no clear evidence of what triggered these events.

Julian had no history of mental health issues on record and his school had said he was a quiet boy who enjoyed gaming.

But a statement was read out to the court by an ambulance paramedic who attended the family home on Christmas Day because Julian was having an anxiety attack.

He'd reported that there was tension in the house between him and his mother.

Thames Valley Police confirmed that had Julian survived he would have been charged with murder or manslaughter and the coroner Heidi Connor returned verdicts of unlawful killing on Mrs Bracken and of suicide on her son Julian.

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