Son who killed bed-bound mother with a hammer claimed 'God told him to end her suffering', court hears

By CLAIRE DUFFIN, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 15:23, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 15:25, 15 July 2026 A son accused of murdering his bed-bound mother on New Year's Eve claimed God told him to end her suffering, a court heard. Michael Bowen, 35, killed Janet Bowen, 65, with a hammer in the early hours, hitting her at least 10 times before fleeing the scene. Mrs Bowen, who was bed bound following a stroke, was found by her carer when she arrived at her home in the upmarket town of Yateley, Hants hours later.  Bowen, who has admitted manslaughter but denied murder, told police he had heard voices in his head that told him to 'harm her' and heard God telling him to end her suffering. He also claimed he used a hammer instead of a knife because it was more 'humane'. The court heard Bowen, a chef, had a history of 'substance abuse'. MDMA, codeine, ketamine and cannabis were found in his system after his arrest. He has also admitted criminal damage to property and possession of cannabis but stands trial accused of murder. Michael Bowen, 35, killed Janet Bowen, 65, with a hammer in the early hours, hitting her at least 10 times before fleeing the scene. Michael Bowen, who has admitted manslaughter but denied murder, told police he had heard voices in his head that told him to 'harm her' and heard God telling him to end her suffering. Opening the case at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday, Simon Jones, prosecuting, said Bowen would claim he had diminished responsibility because of a 'psychological condition'.  But he said the killing of Mrs Bowen, a former NHS worker, was a 'deliberate' act. He said: 'Janet Bowen was 65 years old when she was brutally killed in what was a very deliberate act of violence. 'She was beaten to death with a hammer. 'You [the jury] will hear how he admitted carrying out the killing. You will hear in this case how the defendant has a long-standing history of substance abuse. 'It is clear that he was experiencing an abnormal mental state that night.' Mrs Bowen died as a result of multiple blunt force trauma to the face, a pathologist found. Mr Jones said: 'It was likely that there had been 10 hard blows to the face, but it is likely that there was much more than that.' The court was told Bowen had returned home in the in the early hours of the morning on New Year's Eve and had smashed a window. A neighbour Louise Scott called the police at 4.25 am, saying she had heard glass smashing coming from the neighbouring house. Mr Jones said: 'She had woken up and heard what she thought was smashing glass and bottles being thrown around. 'She was clearly concerned about her neighbour, Janet Bowen's welfare, who had been bedbound following a stroke.' Mr Jones said Bowen fled from the house through the window he had smashed and he walked three and a half miles to Eversley, Hants. He was later seen by Patricia and Roger Kitson outside their house at around 7.18 am, who asked him what he was doing. He told them he was a gardener and he was trying to get to Yateley and left but then returned and used a shovel to smash their living room window. Mr Jones said: 'He also smiled at Patricia Kitson while this was all happening.' Bowen then ran to another farm across the road and was seen by Tejendra Sapkota with blood on his hands and his face, the court heard. Mr Jones said that he pointed a knife at Mr Sapkota and then locked himself in a storage room. Mr Sapkota then called the police and Bowen was arrested. Mrs Bowen was found by her carer, Farai Jenam, when she arrived for her morning shift, and she was pronounced dead at 9.51 am. Mr Jones said: 'The police went inside and saw Mrs Bowen in her bed.' He said that the hammer was found at the foot of the bed. In his interview with the police, Bowen admitted killing his mother. He had told the police that he had been previously 'dependent on drugs and alcohol' and had argued with his mother about a smashed window. Mr Jones said: 'He said that having had an argument with his mother and that he was hearing voices. 'He then said that the voice usually tells him to harm himself, but on this particular occasion they told him to harm his mother. 'He said that he could hear God telling him that his mum was suffering and that it told him to end her suffering. 'He said he thought about using a knife, but he thought that a hammer would be quicker and more humane than a knife. 'He said that he hit her over the head with it. He thought that it would be one hit, and he explained that as it didn't kill her, he hit her again. 'He said that it was too many times.' MDMA, codeine, ketamine and cannabis were found in his system after his arrest. Mr Jones said that the defence case will say that Bowen had diminished responsibility because psychological conditions caused him to behave in this way. He said that although Bowen experienced an 'abnormality of mental function' that evening, it was not from a 'recognised medical condition'. Mr Jones said: 'The defendant understood what he was doing when he attacked his mother. 'He hit her multiple times to kill her, and he understood what he was doing when he did that.' He added: 'The question will not be if this was tragic, clearly it was. The question will be if this was a recognised medical condition. 'The evidence will show that this was not an uncontrollable act; it was a deliberate act where he chose to use that hammer in his words 'again and again'.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.