Pietro Addis admits killing Sue Addis

The grandson of the well-known Brighton restaurateur Sue Addis has admitted stabbing her to death but he blamed paranoid psychosis at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday.

Pietro Addis, now 19 but who was 17 at the time of the offence, is accused of murdering his 69-year-old grandmother at her home in Cedars Gardens, Brighton. He denies murder but admits manslaughter.

At Lewes Crown Court the prosecutor - Rossano Scamardello -, told the jury that shortly before 19:00 on 7 January 2021, Pietro Addis called the emergency services and said: “I’m calling to hand myself in.” He gave his name and location and ended the call at this point but the Sussex Police call handler phoned him back and spoke to Pietro who said: “There’s been a murder.”

When the call handler asked how it had happened, he had the presence of mind to say: “No comment” but went on to say he was “One hundred per cent” sure that Sue Addis was dead.

Police officers arrived at the address at 19.08pm. The front door was open and Pietro Addis was waiting just inside the house. He identified himself to the attending officers and told them that his grandmother was upstairs in the bath. Officers subsequently discovered that the bathroom door was open and the lights were not switched on.

Sue Addis was found to be naked and dead in a bath of blood-stained water and it was clear that she had been stabbed to death with numerous puncture wounds in her chest, neck, abdomen, arm and left leg.

Police recovered three knives from the scene, one of which was inside a jacket in Pietro Addis’ bedroom. There were no defensive injuries on the corpse.