Belfast man jailed for killing his mother

BELFAST MAN JAILED FOR KILLING HIS MOTHER

A paranoid schizophrenic who beat his mother to death has been sentenced to life in prison and will be transferred to a high security mental hospital in Scotland.

Maureen Lyttle, 63, suffered 75 wounds during the attack in her north Belfast home in October 2005.

Her son, Seamus Lyttle, 36, walked into a PSNI station and admitted to the killing after a neighbor discovered her body.

Originally charged with murder, he later pled guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Belfast Crown Court reported that it was a ferocious beating, leaving Maureen with a fractured jaw and 15 broken ribs.

She had been lying in her house for several days before being found.

Seamus Lyttle, from Richmond Square, Belfast, has 265 criminal convictions.

Court records showed he had been not taking his anti-psychotic medication since 1999 and had admitted to hitting his mother.

It is believed he was intoxicated at the time of the attack.

Justice Morgan sentenced him to at least five years for manslaughter but noted that his mental health and personality disorders could extend that period before release is considered.

The judge emphasized the need for authorities to ensure such defendants are held in a high security prison, especially as Lyttle had been remanded in a medium security clinic before sentencing.