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began on 4 October; he later admitted
Suddards' manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The jury were unanimous in finding him guilty of killing Suddards, and an 11–1 majority found him guilty of the murder of Yates. The judge, who called Farrow "sadistic", sentenced him to spend
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During his trial, Farrow admitted to a burglary in
Thornbury around the turn of 2012. He pinned a note to the house's kitchen table, reading, "Be thankful you did not come back or we would have killed you Christian scum. I... hate God". The threat was not personal, as the occupants were not
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After the sentencing, Suddards' sister Hilary
Bosworth questioned if the murders could have been avoided if people with Farrow's record of violence were properly dealt with, asking, "Do we, as a society, need to think again about how we might better monitor those in the community?"
171:, where he was also questioned on Yates' murder, and was charged with both murders and the burglary on 22 February. A week later, a 43-year-old man who had been previously arrested on suspicion of Suddards' death was eliminated from the investigation.
155:. He had previously spoken of the risks of his occupation, in which he would regularly welcome strangers into his home. After stabbing Suddards to death, Farrow drank the vicar's beer and watched a DVD, before stealing his mobile phone and watch.
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from a young age, and was sent home from his first day at school. At the age of 10, he set a church altar on fire and watched it burn. He hated his strict father, but loved his mother. As an adult, Farrow was a heavy smoker of
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Suddards' parishioners and family set up a
Memorial Fund to raise money for causes with which he was involved, including the reintegration of the homeless and scholarships for students of Christian scripture.
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declared that the death was suspicious after his body was found by builders. Suddards, a former lawyer who joined the clergy after a car accident, had only moved to his new parish in June 2011, from
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six years prior. Although the doctor diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder, he theorised that Farrow was exaggerating his claims in order to have a safer place of detention than prison.
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On 4 January 2012, Farrow broke into Betty Yates' isolated cottage and killed her by stabbing her in the neck. Detectives suspected that she had been beaten with her walking stick before her death.
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On 18 February, police named Farrow as a suspect in
Suddards' murder, warning the public not to approach him. He was arrested the following day in
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during burglaries. When it was being decided whether he should serve his punishment in prison or in a mental hospital, he told a psychiatrist from
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offered a reward of £10,000 for information on the murder, and new leads were investigated after the crime was featured on
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On 29 June, Farrow pleaded not guilty to both murders, but admitted to the burglary. His trial at
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Simon Crisp of Avon and
Somerset Police stated that tracking Farrow was difficult due to his
605:"Double killer Stephen Farrow who murdered vicar and pensioner dies in high security prison"
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that he had wanted to kill from his teenage years, and had already murdered a backpacker in
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The
Reverend John Suddards was the vicar at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Thornbury.
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lifestyle, but an anonymous phone call from a woman in Kent had led to his arrest.
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for two murders committed in early 2012. Farrow, whom psychiatrists diagnosed with
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from a priest. He stabbed to death 77-year-old retired teacher Betty Yates in
473:"Murdered vicar the Reverend John Suddards 'was there for the vulnerable'"
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280:"Stephen Farrow: John Suddards and Betty Yates murderer jailed for life"
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On 14 February, the
Reverend John Suddards was killed at his vicarage;
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54:. He also confessed to the unsubstantiated murder of a backpacker in
495:"Police hunt for Stephen Farrow over Reverend John Suddards murder"
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Farrow died at HMP Frankland on 21 August 2023, at the age of 58.
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34:, had an obsessive hatred of Christianity, which he attributed to
110:, he texted a friend that, "Church will be the first to suffer".
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561:"Reverend John Suddards murder suspect eliminated from inquiry"
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by
England and Wales
359:"Betty Yates murder: Teacher 'beaten with her walking stick'"
539:"Vicar John Suddards and Betty Yates murders: Man charged"
381:"Betty Yates murder: Crimestoppers offers £10,000 reward"
403:"Betty Yates murder: New leads after Crimewatch appeal"
315:"Vicar John Suddards death: Pornography left on body'"
583:"Stephen Farrow denies murdering vicar and teacher"
517:"Stephen Farrow arrested over Betty Yates murder"
337:"Retired teacher Betty Yates was stabbed in neck"
678:Anti-Christian sentiment in the United Kingdom
46:, and the Reverend John Suddards (aged 59) in
8:
425:"Clergyman found dead at Thornbury vicarage"
22:(1964/1965 – 21 August 2023) was an English
718:People with antisocial personality disorder
212:List of prisoners with whole life orders
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16:British spree killer (1964/1965 – 2023)
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446:Gillespie, Liza-Jane (16 June 2011).
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140:. Yates and Farrow were acquainted.
90:that he had fantasies of committing
82:at the home of an elderly woman in
688:English people convicted of murder
673:2012 murders in the United Kingdom
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668:2012 crimes in the United Kingdom
631:"The John Suddards Memorial Fund"
237:"Stephen Farrow 'the psychopath'"
78:In 1994, Farrow was convicted of
179:the rest of his life in prison.
698:British critics of Christianity
32:antisocial personality disorder
448:"Thornbury welcomes new vicar"
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633:. John Suddards Memorial Fund
563:. BBC News. 29 February 2012
541:. BBC News. 22 February 2012
519:. BBC News. 19 February 2012
497:. BBC News. 18 February 2012
427:. BBC News. 15 February 2012
475:. BBC News. 2 November 2012
405:. BBC News. 27 January 2012
383:. BBC News. 23 January 2012
361:. BBC News. 16 January 2012
339:. BBC News. 12 January 2012
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317:. BBC News. 4 October 2012
703:Murder in Gloucestershire
181:Detective Chief Inspector
693:Suspected serial killers
585:. BBC News. 29 June 2012
145:Avon and Somerset Police
683:Crime in Worcestershire
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88:forensic psychiatrist
176:Bristol Crown Court
80:aggravated burglary
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708:Murder in England
288:. 2 November 2012
245:. 2 November 2012
198:Legacy of victims
159:Legal proceedings
96:Ashworth Hospital
28:whole-life tariff
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20:Stephen Farrow
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26:who served a
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658:1960s births
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86:. He told a
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36:sexual abuse
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663:2023 deaths
84:Stourbridge
68:hyperactive
66:Farrow was
652:Categories
637:21 October
589:21 October
567:21 October
545:21 October
523:21 October
501:21 October
479:21 October
457:21 October
431:21 October
409:21 October
387:21 October
365:21 October
343:21 October
321:21 October
292:21 October
249:21 October
217:References
165:Folkestone
137:Crimewatch
62:Background
615:24 August
58:in 1988.
48:Thornbury
609:ITV News
285:BBC News
242:BBC News
207:See also
73:cannabis
452:Gazette
185:nomadic
132:BBC One
114:Murders
40:Bewdley
24:vagrant
149:Witham
153:Essex
100:Devon
56:Devon
639:2015
617:2023
591:2015
569:2015
547:2015
525:2015
503:2015
481:2015
459:2015
433:2015
411:2015
389:2015
367:2015
345:2015
323:2015
294:2015
251:2015
169:Kent
92:rape
134:'s
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
