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Man Gets Life For Drowning Grandson In Bath

Man Gets Life For Drowning Grandson In Bath

A man has been jailed for life for drowning his nine-year-old grandson in the bath, two days before Christmas.

Stewart Greene, 65, killed Alex Robinson at his Lincoln home while Alex's mother went to buy a turkey.

The youngster, who was on the autistic spectrum and hated having water on his face, was playing on his XBox when he was left with Greene.

Greene then locked the doors, ran a bath "with both taps to fill the bath even more quickly", and drowned his grandson.

He then rolled a cigarette and waited for the family to come home, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Alex's mother Joanne Greene returned to find her father sitting calmly on the settee.

The trial heard he told his daughter: "I've drowned Alex in the bath."

Giving evidence, Ms Greene said her father had been admitted to a mental health unit earlier in the year.

A month before Alex's murder, she had pleaded with staff not to let him out.

This was because he did not like living independently, and had attacked people before, including trying to strangle a doctor, in attempts to stay as an inpatient, she said.

Greene, from Grimoldby, Lincolnshire, had claimed Alex's death on 23 December last year was as a result of diminished responsibility and denied murder.

But he changed his plea eight days into his trial, and on Thursday was told he will serve at least 22 years behind bars.

During sentencing, Judge Mrs Justice Thirlwall told him: "The callousness cannot be overstated.

"During the course of this trial, you have sought to manipulate everyone in the court room.

"You manipulate people to get what you want. This was not the product of mental illness, it was wholly your responsibility."

She added: "Your concern was for yourself - 'will I go to hospital?', 'I can't do prison'.

"You describe yourself as having been selfish all your life, of that there is not the slightest doubt."

Outside court, Alex's father John Robinson, 39, said: "I'm overwhelmed. We've come a long way, it's been very hard but we have justice for our little boy."