'I heard my Mum murdered on Ring doorbell and could do nothing to help'
The daughter of a woman who was brutally murdered in her own bedroom has described how he has torn her family apart.
The moment killer Dean Mears forced his way into the home of vulnerable Catherine Flynn was caught on a ring doorbell camera – and witnessed by her horrified daughter.
Natasha Flynn-Farrell could only watch helplessly from her own home as Mears, 34, kicked in the front door and smashed the window. She then had to listen as he rained blows down on her frail 69-year-old mother.
Mum of four Catherine, from Rhyl, died in hospital hours later. Mears, a drug user who claimed he was too high to know what he was doing, was jailed for 28 years in June.
Mum of one Natasha, 38, says: 'Mum was our matriarch, we called her our Queenie. She adored her children and grandchildren, and she had the biggest heart.
'I will never get over the way she died, so brutally and needlessly. He targeted a vulnerable old lady, in her own bed, and beat her until she could take no more. No punishment will ever be enough.
'I am struggling with my grief and severe PTSD, and I miss Mum so much. I cannot bear to hear a Ring doorbell because it reminds me of her murder.'
Catherine, known as Cathy, raised three daughters and a son with her husband, Mick. The family, originally from Liverpool, moved to Rhyl when Natasha was 13.
Natasha says: 'We had a great childhood, and we had a wonderful mum. She was a feeder; she liked to make a big Sunday roast and have everyone round. She taught me how to cook too. Every penny she has was for her children. Just before she died, she'd paid for driving lessons for my daughter.
'Our last outing together, four days before her murder, was to book christmas -dinner> Christmas dinner at a restaurant for us all. We'd never been out for Christmas dinner before, and we were excited.
'Mum loved Christmas, and she loved her garden; she liked anything which brought her family together.
'She was there to support me when my first daughter, Latitia, was sadly stillborn in 2004. Two years later, she cut the cord when my second daughter, Natalia, was born. Mum was always there for us all.'
In 2011, Mick passed away and Cathy's own health began to deteriorate. She was diagnosed with COPD, emphysema, arthritis and a leaking heart valve.
Natasha says: 'Her health was bad, and she was so tiny, she was like a little doll. But her character was strong. I used to say she was made of solid gold. She needed a walking frame and a wheelchair to go any distance, but she still liked to go out and do her shopping and see people, and she was great company.
'She liked watching the soaps and she liked pottering in her garden. Above all, she liked to see her family.
'Due to her health, she moved to a smaller property, around a five-minute drive from me, and I saw her every day. If she wasn't well, I stayed over in her spare room. I even moved in with her for a while after she'd been in hospital.
'I made her meals, using the recipes she'd passed down to me, and took her for all her appointments. We were best pals as well as mum and daughter.
'I had access to her Ring Doorbell stream but that was just for peace of mind because Mum had fallen a couple of times. Never did we think she might be burgled or attacked.
'Her home was lovely, she'd never had any trouble, she had a stair-lift and a walk-in shower, and a beautiful little garden. She was by the sea, and it felt like the perfect place for her retirement.'
In October last year, the family planned a meal out and decided to book their first Christmas dinner away from home. Four days later, Cathy was murdered.
Natasha says: 'It was a Thursday, which was takeaway night. My husband had called round earlier in the evening with Mum's takeaway and to check she was OK.
'Mum always rang me around 10.30pm to let me know she was safe in bed. I picked my phone up ready for her call and noticed a notification from Ring doorbell. I clicked on it, knowing Mum would not have a visitor this late.'
To her horror, Natasha saw a man smashing the door and window before forcing his way into the house. She heard a series of thuds and bangs as her mother pleaded to be spared.
She says: 'The attack lasted less than a minute, but I was hysterical. I was trying to use the microphone, screaming at him to leave her alone.
'I called 999 and they made me wait for the police to arrive before I drove round to Mum's. I was in such a state, I just wanted to see her, but they wouldn't let me in. I'd convinced myself she'd somehow escaped injury, that he had smashed the place up and stolen whatever he wanted.'
But Cathy was rushed to hospital, and her devastated family were warned she had suffered catastrophic head injuries. The following day, they made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw life support.
Natasha says: 'Mum was so swollen, all the bones in her face were broken so when I kissed her, she felt like jelly. She never regained consciousness. I held her hand and we all said a prayer and I told her: 'Don't worry Mum. Dad is waiting for you.' My whole world shattered when she took her last breath.'
Thanks to the doorbell footage, Dean Mears, a local drug addict, was quickly arrested.
Natasha says: 'We'd never heard of him. He didn't know my Mum at all. He claimed to be so high he had no idea why he had targeted her home and attacked her.
'The months after Mum's death were a blur. We held her funeral, but we couldn't say a proper goodbye because the police had retained tissue samples as part of their investigation.
'Christmas came, and I forced myself to go out for the dinner we'd booked, because I knew Mum would want me to be strong. But all I could think of was the empty place where she should have been.
'Natalia passed her driving test, which Mum would have loved as she'd paid for the lessons. But it was bittersweet. We couldn't celebrate anything without our Queenie.
'I had severe PTSD and flashbacks; I couldn't bear to watch TV in case there was a doorbell ringing. I felt guilty, as though I could have somehow saved her. I was overwhelmed with grief.
'I had a lot of help and I'm still having support from the police and specialist family liaison officers. But the pain never goes away.'
At Caernarfon Crown Court in June, a jury was told Dean Mears had dragged Cathy from her bed, stamping on her at least 15 times before leaving her for dead.
Remorseless Mears admitted manslaughter but was convicted of murder, following a nine-day trial.
Judge Rhys Rowlands jailed Mears for 28 years and told him: 'You dragged her out of bed…stamped on her face 15 times, pretty much breaking every bone in her face.
'She was frail and extremely vulnerable. She was a very small lady. Plainly terrified, Mrs Flynn can be heard to plead with you, but you showed no mercy…you can be heard repeatedly stamping on her face.
'Your adult life has been blighted by you taking illicit drugs…..I'm quite satisfied that this case was a murder for gain. You didn't break into Mrs Flynn's home intending to kill her - as such the murder was not pre-meditated.
'I cannot ignore 15 blows were aimed by you. This was unusual savagery. You are a dangerous individual.'
The family have now learned that samples taken from Cathy's body can be returned to them, so they will soon receive her ashes as a whole.
Natasha says: 'When we have Mum back together, we will hold a big party to celebrate her life, to remember the love and the joy she brought into the world. She will always be our Queenie.
'But I won't ever forget or forgive. I will be ready, when Mears is up for parole. He is an animal, a monster, and I hope he never walks the streets ever again.'
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