Man guilty of murdering his mum after stamping on her head

A man has been found guilty of murdering his mother having stamped on her head. Stephen Ball, 32, attacked Suzanne Galvin, 55, at their home in Bury last year.

She was found with extensive bruising to her body, including 'patterning' to her face consistent with the sole of Ball's ASICS trainers, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Ball pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of the partial defence of diminished responsibility. He denied murder. Jurors heard that shortly before 8pm on September 16, 2023, a disturbance was reported neighbours at a flat on Pear Avenue.

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Ball was heard shouting 'thieving b****' and 'Mum, let me in'. Calls were made to the emergency services. Ball called his grandmother, Mary Galvin, who lives in Ireland.

Prosecuting, Gordon Cole KC, said: "He said he had come back to the flat to find she was injured. He said he didn't know if she had been attacked, but said she was struggling to breathe."

"He told her that her wrist was broken and she had bruising to her eyes and shoulder and she was lay on the bed. Mary told the defendant that Suzanne needed to go to hospital, but he told his grandmother that Suzanne said she did not want to go to hospital at that stage and would go in the morning."

Mrs Galvin asked to speak to her daughter and could hear her breathing 'erratically', jurors were told. She tried to persuade Ball to call an ambulance, but he said he had 'no credit', so she called 999 herself.

Ms Galvin was found unresponsive on a mattress, before being was taken to Salford Royal Hospital. She died two days later. A post mortem found a blunt force head injury was the cause of her death. Included in the report was reference to 'patterned bruising' on her face.

When Ball was arrested, officers found ASICS trainers in his bedroom. The pattern on the sole of the shoes was examined matched the pattern on his mother's face. "This is consistent with stamping on her head or face," Mr Cole told jurors.

Ball was arrested, before giving 'conflicting' accounts to officers. He was initially charged with assault, before being charged with murder following his mother's death.

The court heard Ball and his mum had an 'argumentative and aggressive' relationship. They both struggled with addiction. Ms Galvin was seen with facial injuries in the day before her death, jurors heard.

Ball, of Pear Avenue, did not give evidence at his trial. He denied murder, but jurors found him unanimously guilty. He will be sentenced on November 1.

He was remanded into custody and will be detained at Ashworth hospital, jurors were told. Addressing the jury, Judge Martin Walsh said: "The sentence is fixed by law as life imprisonment, I have to determine the mandatory minimum term and I will hear arguments about that next time.

"It is likely he will be detained at Ashworth hospital for a significant period of time before he will be considered for release by the Parole Board."

Ball gestured to members of his family in the public gallery as he was led to the cells.