Devastated son slams man, 21, who murdered step-gran, 94, in fire after family ‘welcomed him into their home’
A SON today slammed a student who confessed to murdering his step-gran in a game of Truth of Dare for leaving him haunted by her final moments.
Mary Gregory was initially found by a coroner to have died in an accidental fire at her bungalow in Heysham, Lancs, in May 2018.
But her step-grandson Tiernan Darnton, 21, later revealed his "darkest secret" to pals during a game of Truth or Dare.
He said: "I have a secret I haven't told anyone. I may have killed someone."
When pressed further, he admitted using a lighter to set a curtain on fire at Mary's home as he did not want her to suffer from dementia any longer.
Her son Peter read a powerful victim impact statement as Darnton was today jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years for murder at Preston Crown Court.
He told how his life "changed forever" when he received a phonecall telling him his mum had been trapped inside her burning home "screaming for help".
Peter recalled racing to hospital to find his mother on a ventilator with horrific injuries.
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He said: "My poor mum had suffered such horrendous smoke inhalation that even after being bathed by the nurses, still she had smoke damage on her skin and hair and the whole of the inside of her mouth was black.
"Watching her try to speak, choking on her words, was truly awful. That is a memory I will never erase from my mind. Nor will I ever forget the vile cruelty she was subjected to. The images of her in her final days haunt me.
"Mum's death hit my whole family extremely hard. She was in reasonable health for a lady of almost 95 and I believe she would still be here with us today if Darnton had not killed her.
"Losing a parent is always hard but when they are taken from you by such a callous act, it is simply heartbreaking. My three children lost a dearly loved, kind and caring grandmother, and my wife a close friend and mother-in-law."
'DISGUSTING AND SHATTERING'
Peter slammed Darnton for the "repercussions" his twisted actions caused and he said his children are still suffering from the "mental trauma" Mary's death caused.
He also hit out at his brother - Darnton's stepfather - for ignoring warnings from Mary to stop the student going in her house and instead handing him a set of keys.
He added: "Having learnt that my mum's death was at the hands of Tiernan Darnton, whom we had willingly welcomed into our family home, is disgusting and shattering.
"He was frequently in mum's house in the final months leading to mum's death. She despised and distrusted him, and did not want him anywhere near her.
"Not only have I lost my darling mum but I have now also lost my brother who has chosen to support an individual who murdered his own mother, rather than co-operate with the police inquiries.
"I never accepted that this was an accident caused by my mum. My family and I have had to live with that knowledge and anguish of not knowing what really happened on the night of May 28 2018. Now we do and I pray it gives us some closure."
Jurors heard how Mary was discovered in the conservatory of her smoke-logged bungalow on May 28, 2018.
She tragically died four days later in hospital.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service concluded the most probable cause of the blaze was a dropped cigarette and ruled out any third party involvement.
This later led to a coroner recording a verdict of an accidental death.
But the probe was reopened by police in May 2019 when Darnton admitted he killed Mary during a counselling session.
'I WANT TO CAUSE EVIL'
It then emerged he made the same confession during the Truth or Dare game two weeks earlier.
At the time, Darnton's friends did not believe him and he persuaded them to keep quiet.
The killer then told his counsellor about a friend “who could send me to prison cos of what he knows”.
He also chillingly revealed he felt “powerful” at an event involving a person who had died - believed to be Mary's funeral - as he “knew what had happened and everyone else in the room didn’t”.
His counsellor asked if he was trying to tell her he had killed someone, to which Darnton simply replied: "Yes".
The grim information was passed to police and Darnton, a former student at Kendal College and Lancaster &; Morecambe College, was arrested.
Police then found harrowing internet searches on his phone and laptop - including "I'm a murderer", “I’m a monster and I’m going to hell”, “I want to cause evil” and “Urge to kill again”.
WEB OF LIES
There were also detailed drawings of the floor plan of Mary's home containing labels that read "good hiding place" and "quick exit".
The monster even blocked the conservatory doors with a coffee table, unplugged a phone cable and dismantled a smoke alarm in case Mary tried to escape.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Darnton tried worming his way out - claiming he just wanted to impress his "edgy" friends with his confession.
He also said his grisly comments to the counsellor was "attention seeking".
But jurors saw through his web of lies and he was unanimously convicted of murder after a trial.
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Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo, from Lancashire Police, said: "Darnton regularly visited Mrs Gregory's home after her son took him under his wing at a young age.
"Darnton would spend time at Mrs Gregory's bungalow and not only took advantage of Mrs Gregory's kind nature, he also used his access to her home to meticulously plan his murderous act."
