Higher Walton murder: Trial of Lee Tipping draws to an end as jurors retire to consider verdict

Tipping, 36, stabbed his dad Anthony Tipping and mum Patricia Livesey to death at their Cann Bridge Street home in Higher Walton in the early hours of November 20 2021, just 40 minutes after the couple returned from a night out.

Tipping, who admits manslaughter but denies murder, claims he acted in self defence when he stabbed his father 165 times, as the 60-year-old had attacked him with the knife first before he managed to disarm him.

READ: Prosecution and defence’s arguments case of Lee Tipping

Summing up the case at Preston Crown Court today (June 28) Judge Sir Julian Goose said: “On that day, Patricia and Anthony went to the pub. Usually they went out on a Saturday, but it was a Friday. The defendant was going to go to the gym, but after they went decided to call for a pizza and went to the bedroom. The door was on its last legs and he broke it trying to get in. He decided to be honest and tell Anthony about it. He was worried about his reaction.

"He called at and told him about it. Anthony said ‘you’ve had it’. The defendant said Anthony was getting mad, and the defendant wanted to calm him down.”

Tipping went onto say that, when his parents got home at around 11.20pm on November 19, his father had called him ‘gay, spastic, lunatic’ and ‘mental case’.

"Anthony continued to shout abuse at him so he opened his bedroom door and went onto the landing,” the judge said.

“Anthony was on the landing. He started fighting and got nasty. Lee Tipping told him to stop. He’d left the knife on the landing earlier when he was opening a parcel; he said Anthony picked it up and was lashing out.”

Tipping then said he managed to disarm his father and attacked him in self defence.

The judge continued: “He said he lost control, lost the plot and started hacking.

"He said he had to match Anthony in the battle – ‘it was either him or me’. He says he had tried to ram Anthony against the bathroom wall. Patricia was shouting for help. He said he kept hacking everything he could see; he wasn’t in control and started hacking Patricia as well.

“After it was over, he threw them both into the bathroom.

“He denied that he intended to kill either of them, that he was defending himself from Anthony and that it felt like a dream. He said his head had gone completely.

"Afterwards he said he wanted to get as far away as he could. He wanted to get out of the country.”

Tipping then fled the house and drove to Liverpool Airport, but found he had forgotten his Covid-19 pass. He returned home, where he booked a last minute flight to Rome from Manchester Airport.

He was arrested the following day outside the nearby Premier Inn, where he had checked in under a false name.

Judge Goose said: “(Tipping) said in his cross-examination that 50 per cent of the time Anthony was nice and 50 per cent he was horrible.

“He said he was acting in self defence when Anthony came at him. He said that he had attacked back, or else he would’ve been in a bad position. He would’ve been killed by Anthony.

"He didn’t recall how many times he stabbed his father.

"Patricia was trying to stop Tipping and Anthony fighting. He was hacking at what he could see coming at him; he was in a frenzy.

"He was asked why he stabbed his mother. He said he didn’t know.

“He told police he stabbed his mother because she wouldn’t let him go. He later said this was a white lie; he didn’t know why he did it.”

He added: “The defendant does not dispute that he caused the death of his father, nor does he dispute he caused the death of his mother.

“The central issue of murder charge one, Anthony Tipping, is whether the defendant used lawful force, that is to say self defence.

“As far as count two, Patricia Livesey, the defendant does not say his force was lawful. He accepts that he caused her death. Knowing the injures caused, you might find there is evidence to prove intention to kill or cause really serious harm.

“If you are unsure it was murder in respect of either or both counts one and two, that’s when you go onto consider alternative of manslaughter.”