Man, 27, who murdered mother in Petersfield jailed for 22 years

A man who was found guilty of killing his mother, Anna Jones, at her home in Petersfield was today sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years for murder.

Anarlyn Jones, 27, of Jacaranda Road in Bordon, was convicted of murder in December 2024, following a nine-day trial at the same court.

Police were called just before 8:00pm on Tuesday 9 May 2023 to an address on Station Road, where they discovered the body of 44-year-old Anna Jones.

Her son Anarlyn, who was formerly known as Bronwyn Jones but now identifies as male, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder on Thursday 11 May 2023.

The jury at Portsmouth Crown Court previously heard that Anarlyn Jones had called 999 and told the operator that he had repeatedly stabbed his mother, but that she had begged him to do it and demons were responsible, which he repeated to officers at the scene.

The prosecution however claimed that Anarlyn had killed his mother in a fit of rage after consuming a 'significant amount of alcohol'.

Anarlyn denied that alcohol and anger were the cause and claimed his mother had begged to be killed due to health problems, but then changed her mind during the attack. However, the court heard that Anna Jones had 'struggled vigorously' for her life.

Following the sentence, Senior Investigative Officer DI Howard Broadribb from the Northern Major Investigations team said, “First and foremost, our thoughts remain with Anna’s family, who have had to deal with the devastating loss of their loved one under such traumatic circumstances.

“I am pleased with today’s result and to see Anarlyn Jones put behind bars. He has been shown to be an extremely dangerous individual capable of committing the most unimaginable crime.

“This case and trial was presented with multiple challenges that were dealt with adeptly by the Officer in the Case, DS Lucy Fawcett, to ensure that justice was served.

“I would like to echo the Judge’s commendations in court to DS Fawcett and to all the officers who were first on the scene and to officers who dealt directly with Anarlyn.

“Anarlyn’s selfish act has destroyed a close family unit and no sentence will ever truly be able to compensate for that, or, a life being ended so cruelly and prematurely. However, we hope it can help Anna’s family and friends find some solace at this difficult time.”