Man beheaded his mother because he thought she was a reptile

A man beheaded his mother because he thought she was a reptile, a judge has been told. James Dunleavy decapitated his mother 

Philomena then left her body in a shallow grave in the gruesome attack that followed a row in Edinburgh in spring 2013.

Dunleavy, 41, was jailed for nine years after a jury heard he chopped his 66-year-old mother’s arms and legs off.

The court heard that Dunleavy was a psychopath who wanted to see inside his mother to see if she was impersonating a human, according to the Scotsman.

He was found not guilty of murder but a jury found that he was guilty of culpable homicide due to diminished responsiblity.

Consultant psychiatrist Khuram Khan told the court: ‘He believed his mother was a reptile and the only way to check was to look inside her body.’

He will serve his sentence in a mainstream prison after assessments said his psychological problems could be treated with medication.