Sarah TurnnidgeWest of England

Avon and Somerset Police Christopher looks at the camera with a blank expression. He has light hair, shaven very short, and a light beard, and wears a grey prison jumper. — Christopher Monro, 30, was arrested at his home in Oxford the day after his father’s death

A man who murdered his own father has been jailed for life.

Christopher Monro, 30, was told he would serve a minimum of 12 years in prison for killing 73-year-old Peter Monro at his home in Bath, Somerset.

Emergency services were called to the house in Kelston View around midday on 11 February, where Mr Monro was found dead.

Detectives tracing his son’s movements arrested Monro at his home in Osney Lane, Oxford, on 12 February, and he was later charged with murder.

Monro pleaded guilty at a Bristol Crown Court hearing in August and was remanded into custody before being sentenced on Tuesday.

In a statement read in court, Mr Monro’s daughter Lara said she found it “almost impossible to grieve” her “dear Papa”.

“In darker moments, I am haunted by my father’s cries. But then there are also times where I am comforted by his laughter,” she said.

“I try my hardest to focus on these moments as a way of staying connected to him.”

Mr Monro, 73, died at his home in Bath in February

Family handout Peter sits in a boat, which is running along a rocky coastline. He wears a flat cap with a flower pinned to it, a red scarf, a blue shirt and a gingham blazer with lots of badges and patches attached to it. He is stroking a small dog with a red handkerchief tied round its neck. — Mr Monro, 73, died at his home in Bath in February

She said her brother, who was known by many as Kit, had been through a “relentless battle” with severe and complex mental health issues, adding that while she did not excuse what he had done, she believed he should have had greater mental health support.

“I loved our Papa with all my heart, and you [Kit] took him away from me,” she said.

“Yet while I will never be able to understand why or how you were able to do what you have done, you will always be my brother, and I will always love and care for you.”

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Ch Insp Neil Meade of Avon and Somerset Police said the “past 10 months have been incredibly difficult for the entire family and they have shown remarkable resilience in such adversity”.

“The information provided to us in the early stages relating to Christopher Monro was crucial in achieving this conviction and we want to publicly thank those who came forward,” he added.

“Sometimes little details may seem inconsequential on their own, but fed into the bigger picture they can have a huge impact on progressing investigations and bringing offenders to justice.”

Source link