William Treadwell was jailed for 10 years at Southwark Crown Court after he killed plumber Gary Amer
A pensioner who stabbed a plumber 30 times in a frenzied fatal attack as he struggled to fix a 48-year-old boiler has been jailed for 10 years.
William Treadwell, 68, beat Gary Amer six times over the head with a mallet before knifing him to death at his home in Walworth, southeast London on August 17, 2018.
Treadwell then threw a sheet over the 63-year-old workman’s body and made his way to his local pub where he dialled 999 to confess to the killing.
He denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility – and the prosecution accepted his plea.
Judge Deborah Taylor jailed Treadwell for 10 years at Southwark Crown Court and said he would probably serve half the term. A woman, thought to be a relative of the victim, shouted from the public gallery: ‘This is ridiculous – it’s a joke.’
Neighbour Janet Jarrett, 73, had claimed at the scene that the men had been arguing in Treadwell’s flat after Amer took a long lunch break.
‘He came to fix the hot water on Thursday but he apparently went off for a three-hour lunch break then said he was coming back on Friday. Apparently he needed to pick up extra parts,’ Ms Jarrett said.
The court heard Treadwell was charged £1,350 to have the boiler fixed.
Timothy Cray, prosecuting, had said Mr Amer had been carrying out repair work on the boiler at Treadwell’s home on the day of the attack.
Judge Deborah Taylor jailed Treadwell for 10 years at Southwark Crown Court and said he would probably serve half the term. A woman, thought to be a relative of the victim, shouted from the public gallery: ‘This is ridiculous – it’s a joke’
‘The defendant attacked Mr Amer from behind while Mr Amer was working on the boiler.
‘Mr Amer would have been unable to defend himself or to avoid the many blows which were inflicted.’
Mr Cray said the ‘sudden and overwhelming attack’ left the victim with ‘multiple head wounds, multiple stab wounds and no defensive injuries, which again are consistent with a surprise attack.’
The prosecutor said Treadwell’s sister found the plumber’s dead body in the kitchen after returning from a shopping trip.
‘The defendant had covered the body with a sheet before he left because he must have realised that his sister was bound to return to the flat,’ Mr Cray explained.
Victim: Gary Amer, who had been carrying out repair work on the boiler at Treadwell’s home on the day of the attack
The court heard that the 48-year-old boiler had broken down over the weekend before the killing and that Mr Amer had been called out on the Monday.
The plumber, who had more than 30 years’ experience, then ordered parts to fix the water heater and took a £400 deposit on the £1,350 fee.
He then called out a specialist electrician at an additional cost to deal with the aging appliance, before realising he had been sent the wrong replacement parts.
‘The defendant was agitated about the fact that the work would not be completed and said that it was stressing him out,’ said Mr Cray.
‘He had concluded Mr Amer was a rogue trader.’
Treadwell later claimed Mr Amer had told him ‘a new boiler might be needed’ if the repair failed.
‘The defendant also has a recollection of hitting Mr Amer with a hammer and taking possession of at least one kitchen knife and covering the body with a dust sheet,’ Mr Cray added.
He then took the bus to his daughter’s home and gave her £6,500 in cash before going for ‘a last drink before turning himself in’.
Mr Cray added that the killer was of good character apart from when he was cautioned for possession of cocaine in 2016.
Mr Amer’s long-term partner Sharon Dennis said in a statement read to the court: ‘Friday the 17th of August was the worst day of my life. I feel empty inside.
‘The truth is I don’t want to be here without him.’
Edward Henry, defending, said Treadwell had suffered from untreated depression since suffering a stroke the year before the killing.
‘Depression is a disease of perception, it is a disease which brings with it cognitive distortion,’ he said.
‘This all arises in the context of his thought disorder.’
‘He is marked by a terrible sense, and overwhelming sense, of guilt. The consequences for him have resulted in him trying to commit suicide.
‘Who knows, he may die in prison – he is not in good health.’
Judge Taylor told Treadwell he attacked Mr Amer ‘hitting him on the head five or six times with a mallet’, adding: ‘In addition you stabbed him over 30 times with kitchen knives.
‘Your sister returned at 2pm and you yourself called 999 at about ten past three from the pub and said you had done a terrible thing.’
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Blair, of the Met’s serious crime command, said: ‘The injuries inflicted on Gary Amer were horrifying, and it is only right that Treadwell has been sentenced and held to account for such a brutal killing.
‘My thoughts are with Gary’s partner, his family and friends.’