A man has been given a life sentence for brutally murdering his grandad. Benjamin Dunlop ,27, killed Ronald Dunlop, punched and stamped on him and tried to saw his head off.
Dunlop told his mother days before he killed the 75-year-old how he "felt better when he killed things". Dunlop slaughtered his grandad the day after the pensioner's birthday. Dunlop lived with his grandad in Leicestershire after ending up in the pensioner's care having being kicked out of a hostel for vandalism and threatening to kill the manager's cat, Leicestershire Live reports.
Dunlop's history of attacking family members, and his admission to his mother, Emma Dunlop, about killing animals were heard during a sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court.
Dunlop had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and mental health problems. And his violent outbursts towards his grandad would force Ronald to flee the house and sleep in his car to get away. Dunlop also lied that his grandad sexually abused him, after he was arrested for the killing.
Originally claiming the abuse was the reason for the murder, he then went on to retract the claim and admitted it was a lie to help his defence.
Vanessa Marshall KC, prosecuting, told the court that Dunlop was diagnosed as having either schizophrenia or a personality disorder. He was seen by mental health professionals from the age of three.
Dunlop attacked his mother at the age of 18, setting her hair alight. He claimed he was talking to demons when he was in his teenage years.
When Dunlop was in his 20s, he violently attacked his mum, gagging her and tried to force her to take tablets. The court heard he also tried to strangle the family's cat.
Dunlop's history of violence
- Several attacks on his mum's partner, including one in November 2019 in which he punched him, then ran off and verbally abused three strangers in the street, smashing the phone of one of them. He was given a community order.
- In March 2020 he went back to prison for battery of an emergency worker and criminal damage, and was jailed again in February 2021 for abusive behaviour. When he was released after that sentence, with his grandad unwilling to take him in, he went to various hostels.
- On November 2, 2021, he went to a new hostel in Leicester but was evicted 18 days later for vandalism and threats to kill the manager's cat. His mother reluctantly took him back, but later the same day he got drunk and took his mother to a graveyard, carrying a spade, and told her he wanted to dig up a dead body.
Ms Marshall said: "He told her he felt better when he killed things and that he killed other animals." After that he moved into his grandad's bungalow, even though his grandad was reluctant to have him there.
"At times, Ronald Dunlop found it very hard to cope and would drive away from his property and sleep in his car just to feel safe." On the day of the murder, Ronald Dunlop's car was not running.
"Most of the problems were caused by substance abuse that caused psychotic thought processes."
Dunlop initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter and not guilty to murder, hoping to offer a defence of diminished reponsibility. But various psychiatrists and psychologists rejected that idea, and in November last year he admitted murder.
Mary Prior, representing Dunlop, said her client had attacked his grandad to stop him calling for help because he wanted to be left to die. She said: "He has been suicidal on a very regular basis.
"All of the psychiatrists accept he has paranoid schizophrenia, which has been only partly treated. Some say he has autism, some say he has ADHD, some say he has obsessive compulsive disorder.
"His actions have taken away his support network. He has only his mother left, and she has to deal with the fact that he has killed her father. He will be isolated, and will find a custodial setting far worse than anyone else."
Judge Spencer told Dunlop: "You can turn instantly from being apparently amiable to being very violent indeed." He said he took Dunlop's mental health issues as mitigation, but found the murder was not involuntary.
He told Dunlop he had made a "voluntary choice to overdose with prescription medication and to drink to excess on top". The judge said he accepted Dunlop did not mean to kill his grandad and it was a "petulant loss of control".
Dunlop was given a life sentence, with a minimum of 15 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.
