Son who called a phone sex line as his strangled mother lay dead is jailed for life
From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.
Richard Clayton, 45, was sentenced to life at the Old Bailey on Monday after admitting he strangled his 74-year-old mother Angela at their shared Newham home in the early hours of 17 February. Judge Nigel Lickley KC called him "despicable", "callous" and "self-centred" and ruled that he must complete a minimum of 22 years before he becomes eligible for parole. Clayton had spent months stealing cash and jewellery from Angela to fund cannabis and cocaine habits, even pawning her gold pendant during one of her hospital stays. He rang 999 that afternoon saying he had done "something stupid" after a "breakdown".
Angela Clayton, born in Trinidad and Tobago, was a "fiercely devoted" mother and grandmother — warm, generous and selfless — according to tributes heard in court.
Judge Lickley told Clayton that his mother had every right to feel secure in her own home, and would have been aware that the person taking her life was her own son.
After the killing, Clayton withdrew £200 from Angela's bank account before later calling 999 to report what he had done.