Stanley woman given hospital order for fatal attack in sheltered accommodation
A County Durham woman's been ordered to remain in a secure hospital, after being sentenced for killing another woman in Newton Aycliffe last August
Last updated 5th Aug 2026
A woman with schizophrenia killed a disabled woman in her own home hours after being given a suspended prison sentence, and minutes after being spoken to by police community support officers, a court heard.
Patricia Hewitt, 42, stabbed Angela Lloyd 47 times in her sheltered accommodation bungalow in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, on August 13 last year.
Teesside Crown Court heard Hewitt had a history of mental illness, as well as a long record of drug abuse and criminal convictions.
She denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said that plea had been accepted “following a thorough review and expert opinion of three psychiatrists”.
On Wednesday, Hewitt was sentenced to a hospital order after a judge heard a psychiatrist’s recommendation that that would be the best way to ensure “long-term public safety”.
Ms Lloyd’s family said they were “disappointed” with the hospital order and “believed there should be a penal element”.
The court heard Hewitt was arrested the day before she killed Ms Lloyd, 56, for punching a woman in the head, and appeared in court after being held overnight, where she pleaded guilty to the assault and was given a suspended prison sentence.
Mr Perks said she then went to her sister’s house, where she was described as “flustered and talking in riddles”.
Hewitt was later spoken to by police community support officers (PCSOs) after a man reported she had tried to get into his garden.
The court heard the officers inquired about her welfare and offered her a lift home.
She left the area at around 6.30pm after a Morrisons worker came out of the shop and told her to stop stealing wine from them.
Mr Perks said minutes later, and 100 metres away, Ms Lloyd made the first of three calls to a Care Connect alarm service.
The court heard she suffered from a muscle wasting condition and needed a wheelchair.
Mr Perks said the calls were unclear to the operator but on a later transcription Ms Lloyd can be heard screaming for help and saying she has an intruder in her house.
She later said she was being stabbed to death and the defendant could be heard shouting “where’s your money”, the court heard.
When Ms Lloyd’s carer attended the property they found her lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor, with her Care Connect handset in one hand and prayer beads in the other.
The court heard Hewitt went back to her sister, where she was described as “increasingly agitated and incoherent”.
Statements from Ms Lloyd’s brothers read in court described her as a devoted Catholic who lived a simple life and devoted her time to local charities.
Joseph Lloyd said she was “taken away too soon by Patricia Hewitt for the sake of money”.
He added: “We are told she has mental health issues, however at some time she will be free to carry on with her life.”
The court heard from a psychiatrist that Hewitt had shown clear symptoms of schizophrenia which were “missed or very much downplayed”.
Ms Lloyd’s family released a statement which read: “Angela was a lovely woman. Kind, generous and always thinking of others, she truly was a ray of sunshine.
“We miss her terribly every day.
“Angela was disabled, used a wheelchair and was extremely vulnerable. She died, unprotected, in the most violent and awful way possible.
“The fact that her repeated calls for help went unanswered, and that she was stabbed 47 times, unable to escape or help herself in any way, haunts us every day.
“It is the stuff of nightmares.
“We know the offender was known to be dangerous, with a long history of drug abuse, repeated offending, and violence… Her responsibility for this awful crime may be diminished – but it is not extinguished.”
They added: “We are left with many questions about how this awful situation came about. We are particularly concerned about the actions or inaction of all the organisations that failed so badly to protect Angela from such a violent and dangerous criminal.
“Angela was let down, she deserved much better.”