Woman who killed her mother is diagnosed with Asperger's

Published on Thursday 27 August 2009 21:41

THE sentencing of a woman who battered her mother to death was postponed after doctors said she suffered from Asperger's syndrome.

Lisa Brown, 22, attacked Anne Brown, 51, with a torch in her home in Ayrshire last year during a bitter dispute.

Her boyfriend, John Wilson, 25, then helped her load the body into the victim's own car and dump the weighted corpse into a nearby burn.

Judge Lord Matthews was due to sentence the pair yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow following their conviction last month, but instead ordered a medical report on Brown, who, it emerged, has been diagnosed with a form of autism.

Brown's defence counsel, Frances McMenamin, QC, said the condition explained why a social inquiry report found Brown showed "no signs of upset or regret". Ms McMenamin said prison authorities had called in a psychiatrist after becoming concerned about Brown's lack of emotion.

Brown, who denies murdering her mother, did not appear to be grieving for her and spoke about her in the present tense, the court heard.

The defence team brought in a psychologist and a psychiatrist, who concluded Brown had Asperger's syndrome.

Prosecutor Gary Allan, QC, said medical reports obtained before the trial identified "eccentricities" in Brown but there was no diagnosis of Asperger's.

Lord Matthews deferred the case until Tuesday, when he will hear evidence from a doctor who diagnosed Brown.

The judge said: "This report contains certain information which I have to have explained.

"It is in the public interest that any decision I make is based upon the relevant material."

Divorced nurse Mrs Brown, from Burnhouse, suffered 49 injuries to her face and neck in the attack on 18 October.

The trial heard Brown and Wilson agreed a pact to deny any involvement in the death, but ended up blaming one another for the murder.

Brown was convicted of murder while Wilson was found guilty of culpable homicide.

People with Asperger's can find it hard to read signals such as facial expressions and tone of voice and so have difficulty interacting in social situations.