The death of a woman who was stabbed to death by her son who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia could have been prevented with proper mental health supervision, a judge has said.

Mary Sowerby, 69, was killed in a brutal and frenzied attack by her son Lee Sowerby, 45, in her home in Workington on January 22.

A week before the killing, Sowerby’s father Leonard said he feared something terrible would happen if he did not receive treatment.

A medication review was arranged for January 21 - but this never took place.

On January 22, as Mr Sowerby was out running errands, Sowerby - who was staying at his parent’s home - took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his mother repeatedly in her chest, neck and back as she watched TV.

He then rang the ambulance service saying he had killed his mother.

When emergency services arrived at the house on Main Street, Dearham, they were met by Sowerby, who was covered in blood.

He said: “I’ve killed my mother, I know I’ve killed my mother. There’s no denying that, I’m not going to deny it to you am I?

“I’m just worried about my dad. He was only diagnosed with cancer yesterday.

“There’s something that sits in my mind, it’s crazy.”

Sowerby, of Honister Drive, Workington, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 11 years.

Handing down the sentence, The Honorary Recorder of Preston Judge Mark Brown said he had serious concerns about the way Sowerby’s case has been handled since the 1990s, and called for an inquiry into Mrs Sowerby’s killing.

He said: “Something needs to be done if only to ensure that lessons are learned and these type of dreadful situations do not happen again.”

Preston Crown Court heard Sowerby started suffering from drug induced psychosis in the 1990s after getting involved with the rave scene.

In 1996 he carried out an armed robbery and bomb hoax at a bank and was handed a hospital order under the mental health act.

In 2008 he tried to stab his brother’s girlfriend and was only stopped when his brother rugby tackled him to the floor.

Judge Brown said: “Despite the seriousness of that charge and your violent background you were only detained in a secure hospital for 18 months and in 2012 you were granted an absolute discharge.”

Following his release, Sowerby’s mental health continued to deteriorate as he refused to comply with his medication regime and continued to abuse drugs and alcohol.

In March 2018 he was admitted to hospital after being found carrying three knives and displaying paranoid ideation.

In October 2018 an alert was put on Sowerby’s file after a mental health worker visited him at home and saw a knife on display in the living room, which Sowerby said was to protect him against drug dealers.

In January 2019 he attended Workington Police Station wanting to confess to murder in a previous life, believing he was Adolf Hitler. He was seen by two police officers but no action was taken.

In the early hours of Tuesday January 15, two police officers saw him walking along a fast country lane with his dog. They stopped and spoke to him and he told them he was struggling with his mental health and had set off on the seven-mile walk to see his parents. The officers gave him a lift to his parents’ home but again did not call an ambulance taken as he appeared articulate, and on the face of it rational, the court heard.

On January 16, Sowerby attended at Park Lane Community Mental Health facility with his father, asking to be put back on medication. In a victim statement, Mr Sowerby said he believes if his son had been seen by a doctor he would have been sectioned immediately. Sowerby returned to his parents’ house and a medication review was arranged.

On January 22, Sowerby killed his mother.

Judge Brown said: “The very many injuries demonstrate this was a brutal and frenzied attack in which a vulnerable woman lost her life in the most appalling circumstances.”

He said: “Had the restrictions order not been discharged absolutely in 2012 I very much doubt this killing would have happened. He would have been recalled to hospital far, far sooner, and been detained in hospital.”

In victim statements Leonard Sowerby, and his other son Daniel said the killing had devastated the family.

More than 400 people attended Mrs Sowerby’s funeral.

Daniel Sowerby sat in court throughout the sentence hearing, but his father was too upset to come into the courtroom.