Man beheaded scientist wife and left it next to pet dog after suffering delusion while watching X-Factor

Timothy Allen, 40, admitted the manslaughter of wife bio-scientist Samantha Ho, 39, at a house in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, last September
A man who beheaded his wife because he thought The X-Factor featured puppets who would cause him "eternal damnation" has been sectioned indefinitely.


Timothy Allen cut his own throat before killing Samantha Ho, 39, at their home in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, in August last year.

The court heard how Samantha had made a desperate 999 call.

But when policed arrived they found Allen bare-chested, covered in blood and repeatedly stabbing the couple's border collie Cherry.

Samantha's head was lying nearby.

Southwark Crown Court heard the couple, who had met at university in 1995, had been watching The X Factor on August 29 when Allen suffered a delusion and attempted to take his own life.


Cambridgeshire Police Timothy Allen believed dancers on the X-Factor were "puppets", the court heard



Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said: "They had been, it seems, watching X Factor together on television - that appears to have been the trigger for what happened."

The couple were watching the first show of the new series of X-Factor featuring a new judging line-up of Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora.

Allen first attempted to take his own life by cutting his throat.

He then turned the knives on his wife and also on the couple's pet dog.

He later told police he had seen the dancers "as puppets being controlled by a puppet master".

He believed this figure was trying to get to him and his wife and so decided he had to take her life and his own, prosecutor Andrew Jackson added.

Allen thought the puppets were going to "cause him eternal damnation" and he believed by killing himself and Samantha that he would spare them.


SYCO / THAMES / CORBIS The couple were watching the first episode of the new series of the X Factor last August

"When she asked him not to kill her, he carried on and had meant to do so," Mr Jackson said.

Timothy Allen, 40, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility in February having denied murder.

The plea to the lesser charge was accepted by the prosecution.

Medical reports showed he had suffered a series of psychiatric problems, including paranoid schizophrenia, following a motorbike accident in 2004.

Bioscientist Ms Ho had been a "caring, loving and supportive partner", Mr Jackson said.

Sentencing the 40-year-old, Mrs Justice McGowan said Allen presented a risk to the public.


SWNS Timothy Allen will be detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act

She ordered that he be detained under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, and made a restriction order under section 41 of the same Act that he not be released from a secure hospital until the secretary of state deems him not to be a risk.

The judge said: "This was a terrible offence. You killed the woman that you loved and who I'm completely satisfied also loved you with a selfless commitment.

"This was a happy, loving couple, working well together and successfully until the events of 2004 and the road traffic accident.


SWNS Neighbours at the couple's home in Cambridgeshire described them as "lovely"

"What happened that night was clearly a product of a severe and chronic mental illness.

"This is one of the sadder cases that this court has had to deal with."

Following the guilty plea, a spokesman for Samantha’s family said: “She was a well-loved, well-respected, kind-hearted young lady.

“She had a bright future ahead of her with lots of aspirations.

“She wanted to be a great scientist, have time to travel the world, realise her dreams and spend more time with family.

“However, on that fateful day, Samantha was tragically taken away from us. That day was a day where a part of us died.

“No plea nor verdict can bring Samantha back though we put our faith in the justice system to make amends to the crime.”

Samantha worked for medical company Asterand for a decade and Allen worked at medical company Asthma Trak, an asthma research firm.

They moved into their semi-detached home in St Neots two years ago.

Samantha's parents are from Hong Kong but she was born in Harrogate, North Yorks, where her family own a Chinese takeaway.

The couple met at university in Leicester and previously lived in Northamptonshire before moving to St Neots.

At the time of the killing, neighbours in the couple’s quiet cul-de-sac spoke of their horror at Samantha’s death.

Ian Warsfold, 49, said: “They were a lovely couple – they used to join in with all the community events and social evenings. Her death is absolutely shocking.

"Sam loved that dog and she and Tim used to walk it a lot.”

Allen, who worked for research firm Asthma Trak, entered his plea today from a police station in Wymondham, Norfolk. He will be sentenced in March.

Det Chief Insp Richard Wall, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: “This is a tragic case. A woman lost her life and families have been torn apart.

“Timothy Allen’s plea will bring closure to the police investigation but will never bring Samantha back.

“Our deepest sympathies are with her family and friends at this difficult time.”