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| Britain |
| UK: Rabbi killer's mum refutes judge's 'psychopath' claim |
| 2004-09-30 |
| By Jonathan McCambridge 30 September 2004 The mother of an Ulsterman convicted of murder after butchering a trainee rabbi in London today insisted her son was "not a monster". Greenisland woman Linda Hamilton said she would like to bring Thomas McDowell back to Northern Ireland one day despite a judge branding him a "dangerous psychopath" and telling him he will face life imprisonment. It took a jury at Southwark Crown Court less than three hours to find McDowell, (27), guilty of murder after they heard how he had picked German scholar Andreas Hinz up in a Camden gay bar before taking him back to his flat in July 2002. There he strangled Mr Hinz before cutting up his body with a ripsaw and razor blade in the bath and wrapping his limbs in bin bags. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Linda Hamilton said she was devastated that her son had been found guilty of murder rather than manslaughter, insisting he was mentally ill. She also described how she had been left horrified after hearing that her son had claimed he had slept on her grave. She said: "Thomas went to London four years ago. He was talking on the phone to me a couple of summers ago when the police first came to his door. "I asked him what he had done and he said he did not know. I thought he must have stolen a car or something; I did not believe he could ever hurt anybody." Linda was later informed by police that her son had been charged with the murder of Mr Hinz and was being held in a high security hospital wing at Belmarsh jail. "I could not believe it - Thomas would never even have killed a fly when he was younger. The only way he could have done it is through illness; my son is not a monster. "I go over to England every month to see him. He is trying to cope with it but he keeps telling me 'Mummy, I don't remember doing anything wrong'. "When I read what he said about sleeping on my grave I could not cope with that. I was horrified but it proves that Thomas is not well." She added: "I have been suffering from depression since Thomas was arrested. It has totally ruined my whole life. There is nothing inside me anymore, there is no happiness. This is breaking my heart, it is killing me. "Thomas is my son. I love him no matter what he has done - I will always stand by him. "I would like to take him back home to Northern Ireland one day, when he is cured. "Everybody in Greenisland knew him as Tonto and he was well liked by everyone around here. "I thought the jury would have realised that he is ill and would have taken that into account. This has left me devastated." A number of relatives of Mr Hinz were in court throughout the trial but were too upset to comment on the outcome. McDowell is expected to begin his life sentence at the personality disorder unit at Rampton High Security Hospital. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #2 Everyone knew him as "Tonto"? OK, that's your first clue, mum. |
| Posted by: Unoung Glounter9288 2004-09-30 10:21:37 PM |
| #1 Sounds like Thomas ain't the only one in the family with "issues"... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-09-30 8:56:20 PM |