A burglar who brutally murdered a grandmother in her own home while her horrified daughter witnessed the break-in on Ring doorbell footage has been jailed for life.
Natasha Flynn Farrell, 38, watched on in fear as the doorbell camera captured the moment Dean Mears, 34, forced his way into 69-year-old Catherine Flynn’s seaside home.
Harrowing audio captured on a Ring doorbell revealed the moment the scaffolder who was ‘high on drugs’ dragged Ms Flynn, who had mobility issues and used a Zimmer frame, out of bed and repeatedly stamped on her face and neck at least 15 times.
Ms Farrell, who received a notification from the doorbell camera at 10:27pm, was left helpless as she heard her terrified mother begging: ‘Please don’t!’
The distressing footage showed Mears shouting ‘Where are the keys?’ at Ms Flynn pleaded for her life.
Then, less than two minutes after the break in, the 43-year-old dived out of the broken window, leaving Ms Flynn with ‘severe’ injuries and in a pool of her own blood.
Tragically, the mother and grandmother passed away in hospital the following day.
However, Ms Farrell’s quick-thinking to keep the Ring doorbell app open, helped detectives gain crucial evidence to convict her mother’s savage killer.
Appearing at Caernarfon Crown Court today, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence term of 28 years.
Judge Rhys Rowlands described the horrific incident as a ‘case of unusual savagery, a merciless killing of an extremely vulnerable lady in her own home’.
Speaking to Mears, of Kinmel Bay, he added: ‘You clearly are an extremely dangerous individual and have shown no real remorse for the dreadful violence inflicted on Ms Flynn that night.’
The prosecutor said Ms Flynn had suffered ‘severe injuries’ to her face and brain that left her with ‘no chance’ of survival.
Meanwhile, pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers told the jury that the ‘catastrophic’ injuries were similar to those seen in a high-speed motor vehicle collisions.
Adding that they were caused by ‘repeated, severe blunt force trauma that shattered all her facial bones’, he said: ‘He inflicted such severe damage to the face of Ms Flynn that she had no chance of surviving this vicious, unprovoked assault.’
Ms Farrell, who said in an impact statement that she still had ‘nightmares’ about the horrific ordeal in October last year, described re-watching the chilling video of her beloved mum, known as ‘Queenie’, and hearing the sound of the 15 thuds, as ‘like being tortured’.
However, she knew that she ‘had to watch it play out’ and ‘had to stay on it for it to be recorded’.
Speaking directly to Mears, she told the murderer across the courtroom: ‘I want my face and words etched into your brain, like you are into mine. The trauma plays over and over in my head’.
‘She worshipped her family. My mum’s home was her safe space. I will never forgive you Dean Mears. I hope you never see the streets again.
‘How could you do what you did to my Queenie? I am lost and frightened and our family will never be the same.’
A judge previously said that drugs had ‘ruined’ Mears’ life, having began using cannabis aged 13 or 14 before moving on to use cocaine and ketamine.
At the time of the incident, Mears had taken ketamine, cannabis and cocaine.
Despite calls by many for the decriminalisation of cannabis use, Ms Farrell feels strongly against such view, adding: ‘No drug is soft, a drug is a drug for a reason’.
Outside of court today, Ms Farrell said that the family had got ‘justice for Queenie’.
After the fatal burglary, Mears returned to his friend’s home, and stripped off his trousers and underwear, before being seen on CCTV walking semi-naked in the town.
The convicted drug dealer, who had broken every bone in Ms Flynn’s face, admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, insisting that he could not remember the incident.
Addressing the jury, he said: ‘I can’t give any explanation to this terrible thing I have done. I accept I’ve done what I have done but I had no intention to hurt anybody’.
He also claimed that he had mistaken the home in the seaside town of Rhyl, north Wales, for being empty, arguing that he had been targeting a neighbouring house instead.
Ms Flynn’s family described the mother-of-three as a ‘wonderful’ woman who would ‘help anyone if she could’.
They added: ‘Catherine was a wonderful mum, nan, great nan, auntie, and sister, and also a second mother to many and a great friend.
‘She loved her family more than anything, she was a fantastic cook and was always wanting to feed anyone in her company.
‘Her passing has left a huge hole in everyone’s hearts, things will never be the same without our Queenie. We’ve not only lost our mum and nan, we’ve lost our best friend, our safe place, our security, our backbone of the family and our daily ray of sunshine.’
Deanne Mcginty of the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘Dean Mears inflicted a brutal attack on Catherine Flynn in her own home, a place where she should have been safe.
‘Mears’ actions resulted in a tragic loss of life, and that loss is deeply felt by the family and friends of Catherine.
‘Our thoughts will remain with them.’
Senior Investigating Officer Superintendent Lee Boycott said: ‘Mears broke into Cathy Flynn’s home whilst she was sleeping and ferociously and repeatedly stamped on her in a brutal and violent unprovoked attack.
‘The injuries Cathy sustained were not survivable and she tragically died the following day in hospital.
‘His abhorrent actions that night was witnessed by Cathy’s daughter on her doorbell footage, which will undoubtedly stay with her and her family forever.’
