A man who killed a Spalding mother in her own home was today (Thursday September 10) detained in a secure hospital for an unlimited time to protect the public.
Brian Simpson, 65, was sentenced by Judge Simon Hirst after a jury found he carried out the act of killing Kristine Sparane.
Ms Sparane, 37, was found by police lying on a bed and covered in blood at her flat in Winsover Road, Spalding, on November 26, 2024.
The supermarket worker had suffered a number of blunt force injuries to her head and a severe skull fracture.
Simpson was initially charged with murder but a trial of facts had to be held in May last year after he was deemed unfit to face a criminal trial due to his mental health.
A sentence hearing at Lincoln Crown Court was today told Simpson had been examined by two consultant psychiatrists who both concluded he was suitable for a restricted hospital order.
Dr Muthusamy Natarajan, who was responsible the clinician for Simpson until August, told the hearing he concluded that Simpson was suffering from a persistent delusional disorder and said there had been no significant change in his presentation
Passing sentence on Simpson, who declined to watch the hearing from the hospital where he is being treated, Judge Hirst said he was satisfied Simpson was suffering from a persistent delusional disorder.
Judge Hirst ordered Simpson to be detained under a restricted hospital order which means there is no limit on the time he can be held in a secure hospital.
“It is necessary to protect the public from serious harm and it is not possible to say how long for,” Judge Hirst explained.
Criminal proceedings can be resumed against Simpson if he is ever deemed fit enough to go before a court.
The trial of facts in May 2025 was to determine whether Simpson killed Ms Sparane but could not result in a criminal conviction.
After hearing evidence from witnesses, including Home Office pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton, who carried out the post-mortem examination, as well as a police officer who attended the incident, the jury decided Simpson was responsible for her death.
Dr Hamilton explained the 37-year-old victim had suffered a number of lacerations to her head consistent with blunt force rather than a bladed object.
“It would have to be least four heavy blows, most likely more,” he said.
One of the blows caused a severe multiple fracture to Ms Sparane’s skull which was more typical of a person being involved in a road traffic collision or falling from height, he told the jury.
“This level of injury is rare, it is not something I see very often in the context of an assault,” the pathologist added.
Dr Hamilton also agreed the injuries were consistent with Ms Sparane’s head being shut in a door.
Blue specks of paint found on her skull were also consistent with a large pepper mill recovered during the investigation, the court heard.
“It was entirely consistent with it (the pepper mill) being used to strike the head,” the pathologist said.
Bruising on her hands suggested she had been trying to defend herself, Dr Hamilton added.
The court was told Simpson used a mobility scooter but was also seen walking and there were no disability aids in Ms Sparane’s home.
Ms Sparane had previously told a friend that Simpson would “come to cuddle and kiss her”, which was not welcomed.
A friend described Ms Sparane as “naive around men”, adding that although Simpson used a mobility scooter she had seen him standing and walking.
Other colleagues said Ms Sparane had described him as a “nuisance” and she was happy because he had been due to leave.
Jurors heard that police found Simpson lying face-down on a bedroom floor wearing only his trousers and next to a blood-coated kitchen knife.
An uninjured, young child was also present in the room.
Officers initially believed Simpson, of Nene Court, Spalding, was dead but he was later heard making comments including, “they’re coming to kill me”, before being taken to hospital.
The court heard he had a small stab wound near his abdomen which did not require surgery and could have been self-inflicted.
