Man who killed mum in 'savage' attack jailed for life

A man who killed his mother at their home in a "savage and brutal" attack has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years.

Carl Rundle, 42, murdered 64-year-old Helen Rundle at her home in The Park, Harwell, where he had been staying, on 27 January. He was found guilty of murder following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

The jury heard his victim suffered "no less than" 81 blunt force injuries in the attack, which the defendant also filmed.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Ian Pringle KC said Rundle carried out the attack using "sustained, excessive and extreme violence".

The court heard that Ms Rundle, who was described as "vulnerable" due to her age and disability, had lived at her home in Harwell for "many years".

A few years before the murder, her son had asked whether he could stay there while he recovered from a drug addiction, the jury was told.

The court heard that, in his evidence, Rundle claimed he was "physically abused" by his mother "on a regular basis".

Passing sentence, the judge told him: "There is some evidence to support this claim.

"You even claimed you were sexually abused by your mother.

"Whether or not you were abusedin the ways you described or not, by the time you returned to her home in your late thirties, she was not a threat physically or sexually to you.

"You were not forced to keep her company."

He said over the four months before her death, the defendant "increasingly" began filming her on his phone, while describing how controlling she was being towards him.

However, he said it was Rundle, rather than his mother, who was being "cohesive and controlling".

He told the defendant his victim was "incredibly frightened by your behaviour" and she had asked social services to help her in January because she "feared for her own safety".

The court heard that on the evening of her murder, Rundle challenged his mother about why she had abused him as a child.

He said he had no memory of assaulting his mother, whose injuries included fractures to her left eye socket and a traumatic brain injury.

The judge described her death as "savage and brutal" and said the cause was blunt force injuries to her head and neck on a massive scale.

He said the "brutality of the attack was encapsulated" in the footage he took, which lasted just under two minutes.

Pringle said: "I regard this as a gratuitous act of revenge for all that he perceived she had done wrong in her life to him and others."

The court heard Rundle suffers from Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which the judge said he took into account when sentencing.

While defence barrister Andrew Selby described the murder as "brutal", he said: "This was no planned killing."

Chris Rundle, the defendant's brother, was visibly emotional while reading out a statement to the court.

He described his family situation as "complicated", citing "violence, control, and other harmful experiences".

"We loved our mum, but we also wanted her to acknowledge what had happened and the pain it caused," he said.

He said he believes "this tragedy could have been prevented".

"Carl and I feared for a long time that something like this might happen.

"I believe there were many opportunities over the years to intervene."

A tribute issued by her four children after the sentencing said: "We wish we'd had more time, more good memories and the chance to see you happy and enjoy the little things together.

"But more than anything, we hope you've finally found the peace you deserve."