Thomas Schreiber to be sentenced for murder of millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton

A man convicted of the murder of millionaire hotelier Sir Richard Sutton and the attempted murder of his own mother will be sentenced on Monday.

Thomas Schreiber was found guilty on Friday following a three-week trial at Winchester Crown Court of stabbing the two men at the baronet's property near Gillingham, Dorset.

The judge, Mr Justice Garnham, told the 35-year-old defendant: “The only sentence I can impose is life imprisonment, but for the offense of murder I must set the minimum number of years and I must also sentence you to life in prison. the attempted murder of your mother.

Mr Schreiber admitted carrying out the “horror show” stabbing attack on the couple on April 7, 2021 – the eighth anniversary of the death of his alcoholic father David Schreiber – after saying his mother Anne Schreiber had yelled at for being “drunk like his father”. “.

He told the court: “I went absolutely crazy, I completely snapped and I lunged at her and started attacking her uncontrollably. »

He had admitted manslaughter but denied murdering the baronet, saying he had “lost control” of himself and had not intended to harm him or his mother .

Ms. Schreiber suffered up to 15 separate injuries to her head and body, including a partially severed spinal cord that left her paralyzed.

Sir Richard suffered three deep wounds to his face and five to his chest, up to 12cm deep.

Schreiber had also pleaded guilty to driving a Range Rover dangerously on the A303, A4 and M3 when he failed to stop in front of armed police during a chase at 130 mph in central London.

While detained in Chiswick, the defendant stabbed himself in the chest and told police: “Please kill me now, please shoot me.” »

The trial heard the defendant was angry with his mother for “abandoning” his father, who suffered from depression, to move in with Sir Richard.

Schreiber, an aspiring painter, also felt that Sir Richard treated him unfairly compared to his two sisters, despite receiving a monthly allowance of £1,000 and £100,000 towards the purchase of a house.

The court heard family arguments escalated into violence on three occasions, including once when Sir Richard hit the defendant with his cane in November 2020. This caused the cane to break and left Schreiber “humiliated”.

The defendant accused the lockdown of worsening his mental health by forcing him to stay in the “toxic pressure boiler” environment of Sir Richard’s estate.