Hotelier and sister killed mum with morphine, court told

A well-known hotelier and his sister killed their 100-year-old mother by giving her liquid morphine to "speed up" her death, a court has heard.

Oxford restaurateur Jeremy Mogford, 79, and Sarah Pickering, 72, deny murdering their mother, Pamela Mogford, in Bledlow Ridge, Buckinghamshire.

She died aged 100 at about half-past midnight on 15 February 2022, a jury in Oxford Crown Court heard.

The pair were arrested after texts were discovered from Pickering on the evening of her death, one of which said: "I am actually killing her."

Jurors were told Mogford also sent a message to Pickering on the day of Elizabeth II's death, writing: "Do you think they will morphine Queenie up like we did?"

The court heard Pamela Mogford's GP visited her three times on 14 February, giving her injections of morphine on the second and third visits as he thought "she might be dying".

When he certified her death the following day, he gave the cause of death as "old age", the jury was told.

Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said: "What he did not know was that after his third and final visit the day before, the defendants had between them given their mother more morphine from a bottle of a medicine called Oramorph, which is a liquid form of morphine designed to be swallowed that had been prescribed to Pamela Mogford a few weeks earlier.

"Using an oral syringe they gave her the equivalent of at least four times as much morphine the GP had given that evening by injection."

He said it was the prosecution's case that their "intention in doing so was to speed up their mother's death".

The siblings accept giving their mother Oramorph after the GP had left, but deny intending to speed up her death, maintaining they did so because she was in pain, the court heard.

"At the time there seemed to be nothing suspicious about Mrs Mogford's death," Christopher said.

On 14 February, the court heard her GP gave her two injections of morphine and haloperidol, recorded in a prescription note at 18:10 GMT.

He returned once his shift was over and administered another injection of morphine because the 100-year-old had still been in discomfort.

The court was told the GP had left the remaining ampoules at the house in case they needed to be administered by another doctor called out overnight.

Jurors heard Pickering, referring to her mother, said "hurry up and die" in the presence of her carers, gardener and brother on the evening of 14 February.

Later that day, in a message to her husband, Paul Pidgeon, Pickering said: "Asked J if he is up for me giving more morphine," and in a subsequent text: "I am actually killing her."

In his opening speech, Pickering's defence barrier Benjamin Newton KC told the jury this was his client using "gallows humour to cope with life's difficulties".

In subsequent texts, the jury heard she wrote: "J has said go for it with another dose. I will give it a little while, watching Foyle at the mo.

"J said go for it, but easier said than done. Maybe I will have another glass and it might be easier.

"Never killed anyone before, but I have often thought about it.

"I shall wait until Foyle is over then I can go to my grave knowing I have topped someone. It's certainly on my bucket list."

High Court Judge Mr Justice Jay told jurors that Mogford and Pickering, who are on bail, would sit with their solicitors rather than in the dock to "provide instructions as the case develops" and that the trial would feature "complicated expert evidence".

They also face an alternative charge of attempted murder.

Mogford opened the first Browns Brasserie in 1973 in Brighton with then-business partner John Mayhew.

He sold the Browns chain, which has a large presence in university towns such as Oxford and Cambridge, to Bass Brewery for £35m in 1996.

The trial continues.