[bbfan1991]

A man has been found guilty of shooting his parents dead after failing to kill them by driving a car into a canal.





Stephen Seddon, 46, of Benevente Street, Seaham, Durham, was convicted of two counts of murder and attempted murder at Manchester Crown Court.

The jury heard how last July Seddon drove to the home of his parents in Sale, Greater Manchester, to kill them in order to inherit £230,000.

Months earlier he was hailed a hero when they survived his car crashing.

Sawn-off shotgun

Seddon had tried to murder his father, Robert Seddon, 68, and mother, Patricia, 65, by driving into the canal with them strapped in the back seats in a faked road accident.

Four months later he shot the couple to death with a sawn-off shotgun at their suburban home.

Seddon showed no emotion in the dock as the jury returned its verdict following the five-week trial.

There were cries of celebration from the dead couple's relatives in the public gallery as the verdict was read out.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, described Seddon as the ultimate "ungrateful son" who had an "insatiable thirst for cash".

His parents had already given him £40,000 and bought him his home in Seaham.

Seddon had previously lived a luxury lifestyle as a company director, but he pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading in 2000 and then relied on his parents for money.

The couple, married for 47 years, made a will in October 2009, naming each other as beneficiary if one of them died, with their estate worth £230,000.

If they both died, their son Stephen "got the lot".

Veered off carriageway

The court heard Seddon hired a BMW on 20 March and drove from his home to Manchester on the pretext of treating his parents to a surprise meal.

With his parents and nephew in the car, Seddon drove along a stretch of road beside the Bridgewater Canal in Timperley, south Manchester.

The jury was told the vehicle then veered off the carriageway and into the water.

He was found guilty by a majority of 11 to one on each count following more than 18 hours of deliberations by the jury.

'Catalogue of lies'

Cheryl Hramiak, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Seddon had been "brought to justice for the violent and premeditated murders".

She said: "He had planned these crimes in enormous detail and went to great lengths to cover his tracks and avoid detection.

"After his failed attempt to kill his parents by driving the car into the canal he even presented himself as a hero for trying to rescue them."

She added: "The jury has consequently rejected his version of what happened when he drove the car into the canal and his bogus, and outlandish, accounts of the day that he killed his parents. They have recognised them for what they are - a catalogue of lies."

The 46-year-old will be sentenced on Thursday 28 March.

Evil man, at least he has been brought to justice. RIP to his parents.

[bbfan1991]

A man who shot his parents dead after trying to kill them by driving a car into a canal has been jailed for life.

Stephen Seddon, of Benevente Street, Seaham, drove to his parents' home in Sale, Greater Manchester, last July to kill them and claim inheritance.

He was convicted of two counts of murder and attempted murder at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old was given a life sentence for the murders with a minimum term of 40 years.

He was also given a sentence of 20 years for the attempted murders to run concurrently.

PC Bryn Jones read out a short statement on behalf of the family
Seddon had tried to murder his father, Robert Seddon, 68, and mother, Patricia, 65, by driving into the canal with them strapped in the back seats in a faked road accident in March.

Four months later, he killed the couple with a sawn-off shotgun at their house.

Sentencing him, Judge Nicholas Hamblen said Seddon had been involved in a "continuum of crime culminating in the cold-blooded killing of a quiet, unassuming, elderly couple in their own home".

Seddon shouted at the judge that he was "an innocent man", to which the judge replied that he should "keep quiet".

'Monster' son

Mr Justice Hamblen said Seddon's attempt to murder his parents had meant they "not only had to endure a terrifying, life-threatening experience but they also suffered consequent sleeplessness, nightmares, depression and stress".

"The reason for the attempted murders and the murders was greed," he said.

"You needed money. You had lost your job. You had a mortgage. You had a family to support. You had some grand plans.

"Despite the fact that your parents had always been very generous in supporting you, you wanted more and you wanted it now - hence the plan to kill them and get your inheritance up front."

Mr Justice Hamblen told Seddon that "in effect, you executed your own parents".

"One can only imagine the horror of your parents' last moments in this life when they realised what a monster their own son, who they loved, had become," he said.

"Mercifully, their deaths were swift."

Speaking after sentencing in a statement read out by police, relatives of Mr and Mrs Seddon said it had been a "very sad and emotional time for our family".

"The shock of having both Pat and Bob taken from us in such horrifying and tragic circumstances has left us feeling numb.

"Pat and Bob were a kind, loving and selfless couple who will be missed."

[Me. I Am Salman]

scum

[joeysteele]

Total scum, to act like the hero at his failed attempt to kill them earlier and to then go and kill them some time after was really sickening.
Glad he has to srve 40 years and I would hate to be him inside when it's revealed what he is in for.

[Kizzy]

Money... no amount of money should make anyone do this.... just bizarre