A DEPRESSED Post Office clerk has admitted killing his father as he lay dying in a hospital bed.

Ralph Stephenson, 46, yesterday pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his father, also called Ralph Stephenson, in the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City, last June.

Parkinson’s disease sufferer Mr Stephenson, 86, died from asphyxiation in what police described as a tragic and sad case.

Stephenson Jr, of Tyne Road East, Stanley, County Durham, had previously denied a charge of murder.

Yesterday, at the start of what had been expected to be a five-day trial, he again denied murder when the indictment was read to him but added guilty to manslaughter.

Christopher Knox, prosecuting, told the court the pleas were acceptable.

Mr Stephenson Sr, a former Post Office worker, of The Middles, near Stanley, died three weeks after he had been moved to the hospital.

Mr Knox said that psychiatrists for both the defence and prosecution agreed his son was suffering from a depressive illness at the time of the killing, as well as alcohol dependency syndrome, and that his responsibility was impaired.

He said Stephenson Jr committed an attack that “involved a great deal of force being used on the defendant’s late father while he was in hospital where he was comatose and, candidly, very close to the point of death.’’ He said: “There is no suggestion that he was excessively intoxicated at the time of the killing.’’ Mr Knox added that the pathologist, Dr Stuart Hamilton, had said the “degree of force used was significant indeed.

“The behaviour of the defendant in the killing was very irrational.

“The Crown has taken the view that in the circumstances it would be right to accept the plea.’’ The court heard that Stephenson Jr, an only child, would have to be assessed to see if he posed a risk to the public.

He is being held in a prison and will be assessed by a psychiatrist at St Luke’s Hospital, Middlesbrough.

His lawyer, Robert Woodcock QC, said there was no evidence his client was still mentally ill.

At the time of the killing, neighbours spoke of their shock.

Stephenson, described as a quiet man who kept himself to himself, had been his father’s carer for some time.

But shortly before his death, the older man had been cared for in a nursing home.

Visiting High Court judge Mr Justice Keith adjourned sentencing until Friday, February 19, for the preparation of psychiatric and pre-sentence reports.

Afterwards, Detective Superintendent Adrian Green, who led the inquiry, said: “It was a tragic and sad case and the end result is the right one.

“The defendant has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his father and we await to see what the sentence will be following the medical assessments.

“There was never going to be a surprise outcome to this case and I am satisfied that justice has been done and will be seen to have been done by the general public.

“It was a rare event, very exceptional circumstances, and the end result is the right one.

“The level of violence was exceptional in terms of the injuries caused.

“We don’t know what was going through his mind at the time, but he has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.’’