Peter Glenser KC, leading Rhiannon Sadler, prosecuted a murder trial at Huntingdon Crown Court in which Gregory Coulson, 31, was unanimously convicted of the murder of his mother, Carmen Coulson, 67.
The jury heard that Mrs Coulson was fatally stabbed at the home she shared with her son in Lingwood Park, Longthorpe, Peterborough. Police were called by Coulson at 2.44am on Sunday 9 February last year, although the evidence showed the killing had taken place the previous evening. Officers attending the address discovered Mrs Coulson dead inside the property. A post-mortem examination identified multiple injuries, including a fatal stab wound to the heart.
The court heard that following his arrest Coulson asked officers, “How many years do you get for murder these days?”. In police interview he admitted responsibility for the killing, stating that he had taken a steak knife from the kitchen and stabbed his mother at about 10pm before going to bed and later calling the police. Evidence at trial also showed repeated cocaine and alcohol consumption by Coulson in the months leading up to the attack.
Coulson denied murder and claimed that intruders had broken into the property and killed his mother. The prosecution case demonstrated that this account was false, and the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty.
Coulson will be sentenced on 17 April.
Peter Glenser KC and Rhiannon Sadler were instructed by the CPS East of England.
