Son weeps as he pleads guilty to stabbing his retired dinner lady mother to death in her own home

Adrian Hardy, 52, has pleaded guilty to murdering his mother, Joan Hardy, 72, at the South Derbyshire home they shared. He wept in court as he entered his plea at Derby Crown Court and was remanded in custody; the case is due to be sentenced in December.

Joan Hardy was found with stab wounds at about 2.30pm on 21 June in Linton, near Swadlincote. She was a retired school dinner lady and neighbours remembered her as kind and devoted to her home, which she called her “sanctuary”. Her son had a history of alcohol problems and previous driving offences; in 2015, after drinking nine pints, he caused rail disruption costing Network Rail £24,366.