Higher Walton murders: Grieving family of couple murdered by their own son speak out after killer's sentencing

In the early hours of November 20 last year, Lee Tipping stabbed his mum Tricia and dad Anthony to death in a frenzied attack at their home in Cann Bridge Street.

Last month, the 36-year-old was found guilty of their murders after a jury heard how he had stabbed his parents more than 320 times.

He claimed he acted in self defence when he stabbed his dad 165 times before turning the knife on his mum and stabbing her more than 150 times – but the jury did not accept this.

Today (Thursday, July 28) at Preston Crown Court, Lee Tipping was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 27 years for their murders.

After the sentencing, the family of Tricia and Anthony spoke for the first time about the murder of their loved ones – a ‘horrid nightmare’ which they say has ‘changed our world forever’.

What Tricia and Anthony’s grieving family said after today’s sentencing

In a statement to the media following the sentencing, Anthony's brother Stuart Tipping spoke of his family’s grief and said “our lives will never be the same again”.

He said: “Saturday, November 20, 2021 is a date that we will remember for the rest of our lives. That day changed our world forever; we lost two people at once.

"The loss of Tricia and Anthony has not been like a normal bereavement. We never got to say goodbye, and we will never get to know the truth of what happened that night.

"The weeks and months that followed Tricia and Anthony’s death, we didn’t want to get up. Our nightmare was real, and it got worse, as when the shock had subsided the reality set in.

"Since their deaths, how Tricia and Anthony died has been at the forefront of our minds, constantly replaying the news, wondering how it could have happened, wanting to know that they didn’t suffer.

"Tricia and Anthony have been together since they were teenagers; they loved each other deeply and were inseparable.

"Not only has this broken our family but our lives will never be the same again, we live in a horrid nightmare which no one would think could ever happen to them.

"Family holidays like Christmas’ and birthdays will never be the same, we would always gather as a family. The loss of Anthony and Tricia will always be felt and highlighted.

"One of the hardest parts of court has been listening to the lies that Lee has told.

"Anthony was not a bully, he loved his son and put him on a pedestal all his life, he would not have someone say a bad word about Lee.

"Anthony was the core of our family, our go-to person. Everyone went to him for advice, or help. He did everything for our families and would drop what he was doing to help, whether you were a family member, friend, neighbour or even Lee.

"Likewise, the portrait that Lee has painted of his mother, Tricia, could not be further from the truth.

"Lee would have strangers believing that his mother neglected him; Tricia loved Lee, he was her baby, her world.

"Tricia had the patience of a saint, she put up with behaviour from Lee that no other mother would do; they both had high hopes for their only son.

"Tricia and Anthony should have been able to retire and be happy, enjoy their house, their family and friends, they should have been able to enjoy their lives together.

"But due to the actions of Lee, they are not here, their happy retirement has been taken from them.

"The loss of Tricia and Anthony has left a gaping hole in our hearts, we are a close family and have relied on each other for support through this difficult time.”

Family thanks Lancashire Police

The family added: "We would like to thank Lancashire Constabulary for their support and investment during the investigation, and we would like to express our gratitude to the Family Liaison Officers who have guided and comforted us through this difficult process and to everyone on the Major Investigations Team at Preston who have spent so much time meticulously gathering evidence, building a case and keeping us informed along the way.

"We would like to thank the support we have received from our family, friends and the community of Higher Walton.

"We would like to ask that people now respect our privacy as we begin our journey of bereavement. Thank you.”