A man attacked his wealthy parents after harbouring a 40-year grudge against them for sending him to boarding school.
Failed businessman Ed Linse, 51, battered his 85-year-old dad Nicholas Clayton and his mum Julia, 82, in April.
He entered their £1.2 million farmhouse in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, in the dead of night, and told them they had ‘let him down’.
During the vicious attack, Linse, a dad-of-two, said he believed he should be compensated for his ‘suffering’ at the unnamed all boys public school in the 1980s.
Mr Clayton, a retired engineer, suffered a string of head injuries including a bleed on the brain, which was consistent with him being kicked, bitten, punched and strangled.
Mrs Clayton suffered bruising to her back and a lump to the back of her head.
Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, said: ‘Mr Clayton was repeatedly struck to the head and face as he lay in his bed. One of his teeth was found on the floor next to the bed.
‘The bedroom carpet near the entrance was heavily blood-stained. Mrs Clayton was then struck to the head and back in a “pummelling action”.’
Chester Crown Court heard Linse was ‘financially manipulating’ his parents, who were trying to get the Home Office to allow his Thai bride to stay in the UK.
The Claytons, who have another son called Rupert, agreed to take out an equity release of £240,000 on the property in a bid to appease Linse after he sent them an abusive message saying: ‘You are old and your evil husband is at death’s door, perhaps you might want to consider if taking your secrets to your grave is such a wise idea when who knows what awaits you there.’
As the money was about to come through, he added: ‘I expect this to be signed off ASAP and God help you both and my brother if you f*** the children over to serve your ludicrous vilification of myself.
‘If you think the agreed amount is too high a price to pay for your grandchildren’s welfare then pay what you see fit. Either way it will be the last you ever hear from us.’
Linse pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on his dad, and admitted common assault on his mum.
The court heard Linse had a ‘strained relationship’ with his parents for most of his life.
Mr Williams said: ‘His mother describes now being 51-years-old, he never ceased telling them how unhappy he was when he was sent away to boarding school as a child.
‘She describes how he has had a “bitter feeling” towards them ever since then. Despite their difficult relationship with him, they had sought to assist him financially over the years.’
Mr Williams went on to say Linse wanted money for a new house to have an ‘ideal life’ with his partner and children, but this was still not enough.
He added: ‘After a period of what the prosecution would describe as pressure and emotional manipulation, his parents agreed to release equity in their home and give him the money.
‘He received approximately £240,000 but it was apparent he had been expecting more.’
Linse’s brother, Rupert, also revealed their elderly parents now have no savings left.
In 2014, Linse even held his parents ‘captive’ in their bedroom, demanding his inheritance and refusing to leave until he had it.
In October 2021, Rupert made a referral to social services outlining the financial and emotional abuse his brother was inflicting on their parents, but no action was taken after Mr and Mrs Clayton were spoken to.
The court also heard Linse had a history of domestic violence against his wife Papaipit and hit her with their daughter’s Peppa Pig book.
She described a history of domestic violence in which Linse lost his temper, pushed her to the floor, strangled her, and held her down in the shower while he kicked her.
Linse, who was abusing cannabis at the time, blamed his outbursts on the ‘suffering’ he experienced at school.
He has since been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, with psychiatrists saying he was suffering from ‘manic psychosis’.
Sentencing Linse to be kept in a facility until doctors deem him safe to be released, Judge Steven Everett, said: ‘It’s clear from the information that I’ve read that the defendant had a real grudge against his parents.
‘It may be in relation to his schooling, and it may be what happened in his school caused him to have very strong feelings of antipathy towards his parents.
‘Whatever it was, there was significant evidence that following a long period of an abusive and manipulative relationship towards them.’
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