Son jailed for murdering his mother on New Year's Eve

A man has been jailed for murdering his mother at her home in Hampshire on New Year's Eve 2025.

Michael Bowen, 35, of Yateley, was convicted of murder following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court on 24 July 2026. He was sentenced today to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years.

On New Year’s Eve 2025, Bowen used a hammer to attack his mother at her home. Janet Bowen was unwell, confined to her bed and reliant on others for her care following a stroke.

Concerned neighbours heard a disturbance during the early hours and contacted police.

Later that day, carers attending the address discovered Janet Bowen dead and alerted emergency services.

After the killing, Bowen left the property and was later arrested following an incident at a nearby business premises. Police linked him to his mother's death, and he was charged with murder.

Bowen initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting he unlawfully killed his mother but arguing his responsibility was diminished due to an abnormality of mental functioning linked to substance misuse.

The prosecution did not accept this reflected his true level of culpability and argued this was a deliberate act, pointing to Bowen's own account of striking his mother with the hammer "again and again," and to his purposeful decision to use a hammer to kill her.

He further acted purposefully after the killing by gathering belongings and leaving the scene. Our lawyers argued that these were clear indications that he retained the ability to exercise rational judgement and self-control.

The jury heard evidence from three psychiatric experts but rejected Bowen’s defence of diminished responsibility, and found him guilty of murder.

Bowen also pleaded guilty to criminal damage and possession of cannabis.

Benjamin May, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Janet Bowen was a vulnerable woman, left seriously unwell by a stroke and entirely reliant on others, including the defendant, for her care.

"Her own son violated that trust in the most brutal way, launching a sustained and fatal attack on her in the place she should have been safest.

"While Bowen accepted he had unlawfully killed his mother, we did not accept that a plea to manslaughter reflected the true gravity of what he had done, and the jury agreed.

"Our thoughts remain with Janet Bowen's family and friends as they come to terms with this tragic loss.”