Judith Fox: Woman killed and dismembered mother jury finds

A woman killed her mother, whose remains were found in woods, a jury has found.

Lucy Fox, was subject to trial-of-facts proceedings, after being deemed unfit to enter pleas and the case was heard in her absence.

The partial, dismembered remains of her mother, Judith Fox, were found in Shropshire in July 2020, a month after she was last seen.

Following the ruling, Fox was made the subject of a hospital order.

The 39-year-old accused, of Bernards Hill, Bridgnorth, was charged with murder and also arson with intent to endanger life in connection with a fire at her brother Nicholas' house in Apley Park in the county.

The jury was not asked to ascertain guilt, but establish whether Fox carried out the killing and started the fire - which they concluded she did.

If, based on medical evidence, a court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial, then criminal proceedings cannot proceed.

Prosecutors, however, have the option to have the matter heard as a section 4 hearing or "trial of the facts".

This public process takes the place of a criminal trial.

Unlike in a criminal trial, the jury is not required to return a verdict of guilty or not guilty, nor consider their state of mind at the time, but are asked to decide whether or not the accused committed the acts alleged.

It is allowed for under a 1991 amendment to the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964.

During the hearing, jurors were told Fox had been seen on CCTV buying knives and driving to her mother's house in Shifnal on 12 June 2020, the last day the 65-year-old was seen alive.

Police officers were sent to the house on Haughton Drive in the early hours of 14 June following a concerned call from Mrs Fox's son.

Fox was accused of starting a fire at his home shortly before he called officers. In body-worn camera footage shown to the court, she told police that her mother had an accident, was dead and she had killed her.

The Honorary Recorder of Stafford, her honour Judge K Montgomery QC said it was likely Fox would spend "a very considerable degree of life in hospital" after being diagnosed with a paranoid illness consistent with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Fox was also made subject to a restriction order, meaning her release will not be authorised unless an independent mental health tribunal is satisfied she does not pose a risk to the public.

The judge thanked the jury for their service during the "harrowing" case and called on them to join her in offering condolences to the family of Mrs Fox.

"No doubt you have imagined the devastation this has wreaked on the family and how awful it must have been for them to sit through the evidence as it has played out over the course of these few days and I pay tribute to their dignity throughout," she said.

Dave Bagnall, who worked with Judith Fox, a former nurse, at the Express and Star and Shropshire Star newspapers, said: "It is really difficult to comprehend.

"I don't like thinking about it too much because what I have read is very disturbing and distressing.

"I keep in touch with a lot of colleagues and they all feel the same.

"She helped me because I had a family bereavement and she came to see me. I didn't approach her and she talked to me because she had a similar situation in her own life and she was really helpful to me so I've got really strong feelings for her."

Senior Investigating Officer, Det Ch Insp Mark Bellamy, added: "This was a tragic and senseless killing that has left a family absolutely devastated by the loss of their mother, sister and grandmother in truly horrific circumstances and my thoughts remain with them at this incredibly difficult time.

"This was a challenging and complex investigation and I'd like to thank the investigation team for their hard work and commitment that has meant the jury has reached the verdict it has today."

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