A teenager who was obsessed with Coronation Street killer John Stape murdered his own mother in a horrific copycat hammer attack.
Daniel Bartlam, then 14, butchered mum Jacqueline Bartlam, 47, with a claw hammer as she slept - after watching the soap villain kill one of his victims the same way.
He then doused her body in petrol and set it alight - before telling neighbours she had been killed by a burglar on Easter Monday last year.
Horrific: Daniel Bartlam, left, butchered his mum Jacqueline, 47, right, with a claw hammer as she slept after becoming obsessed with Coronation Street killer John Stape
At Nottingham Crown Court today, Bartlam, now 15, was jailed for a minimum of 16 years.
The court heard that the twisted teen had spent weeks plotting his mother’s death - even going as far as to pen a play about a boy called Daniel who killed his mother and got away with murder.
On the night of the murder Daniel, from Redhill, Nottinghamshire, crept into his mother’s bedroom, where she was sleeping with his brother Dominic, six.
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He took two hammers, one of them a claw hammer, into his mother’s room. He killed her and then poured petrol on the body and set it alight.
He removed his brother from the house, and began to tell neighbours what he would later tell police in interview; that an intruder had broken into the house and killed his mother and escaped out of a window.
But he was found guilty of murder after a trial earlier this year.
Dreadful: Jacqueline Bartlam's bedroom after her teenage son Daniel killed her in a hammer attack and then burnt her body
Horrendous: This lump hammer was recovered from the home of Jacqueline Bartlam. On the night of the murder Daniel crept into his mother¿s bedroom with two hammers and killed her
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Kate Meynell, from Nottinghamshire Police said:
'The level of violence, the degree of planning and the extent of his lies is not only shocking, but it’s also chilling that a boy could do this.
'I’ve never dealt with something like this and I’m not aware of any other case in this country. He thought he could commit the perfect murder and get away with it.'
The court heard how officers who searched the boy’s room found violent drawings and writings, along with a claw hammer and a container of cleaning fluid.
Violent video games and films, including The Amityville Horror and Final Destination - suitable only for people aged over 18 - were also found.
Influenced: Daniel Bartlam was obsessed with the Coronation Street killer John Snape, played by actor Graeme Hawley
They also discovered that websites he had looked up included 'Man kills wife and makes it'; 'How to get away with murder'; and 'People who get away with murder in shows'.
And forensic examinations of his computer also found footage of violent scenes from Trial and Retribution, EastEnders, Hollyoaks, and Coronation Street - the latter including the scene where the character John Stape kills a woman with a hammer.
The court heard how Bartlam had written a sick story in which he played the main character, someone who got away with rape and murder.
He described the character murdering a woman with a hammer and setting the house on fire.
He thought he had deleted the story completely before committing his crime - but experts recovered the file from his computer’s auto save.
A statement released by Jacqui’s parents, on behalf of their family, reads: 'Jacqui was a wonderful, loving and caring woman. She was warm with a great sense of humour and would always be there to help if anyone was in trouble.
'When she was born, Jacqui was a beautiful baby with the biggest bluest eyes. She grew up into a wonderful girl who enjoyed looking after her little sister and watched over her wherever she went. She went on to become a gentle person who tried to do her best by everyone.
'Jacqui helped teach her nephews before they started school, reading to them and spending lots of time with them. She was patient and kind.
'She was a determined woman, who worked hard to become successful. She worked at the Land Registry and was well respected by her colleagues. But it was her children who really were her life.
'During the trial, Daniel attempted to make out that Jacqui was a bad mother, which couldn’t be further from the truth. She loved her boys and would do anything for them.
'We are a very close family, and it is hard to know how to deal with something like this. Twelve years ago we lost the youngest of our daughters and our eldest grandson in a car crash and to have to go through this twice hurts more than words can say.
Blaze: This image shows the fire at Jacqueline Bartlam's home after her son burnt her body
'We find it so hard to explain what we are going through. There are no winners here because not only have we lost Jacqui, but we have lost Daniel too because of what he’s done. We know it was the right result at court but trying to understand how a boy you have loved for 14 years can do something like this is so difficult.
'To find out that Daniel planned to kill his own mother and then hear all the details, it is all so hard to believe. The most difficult part for us and something that only Daniel can answer is ‘why?’
'Jacqui cared and she loved, and she was most certainly loved by us all. She will be forever missed as our daughter, sister, mother, aunty, great-aunty, god mother and friend.”
DCI Meynell added 'We know that Daniel spent time planning to kill his mum, and then executed his plan over night. He then attempted to conceal evidence and cover his tracks by making up a story that his mum had been attacked by an intruder.
'His account did not correlate with other witness accounts so Daniel was arrested. From his computer, we recovered a deleted story about a character called Daniel Bartlam who killed his mother in the exact same circumstances in which Jacqueline was killed.
'I have personally never dealt with something like this, and as a police officer this was an extremely shocking case, but the biggest impact has of course been on Jacqueline’s family.
'The level of violence, degree of planning and extent of his lies is not only shocking, but it is also chilling that a boy of 14 could do this.
'You can only imagine the impact that this has had on Jacqueline’s family, and having spent time with them throughout the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings, I know this is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, for them to come to terms with.
'This murder has devastated everyone involved. There is only one person who knows why it happened, and Daniel has lied consistently throughout, making attempts to besmirch Jacqueline’s character.
'Everyone who knew her knew she lived for her children and was a warm, loving mother. Maybe one day Daniel will tell the truth, as there are several gaps that only he can fill.'
An ITV spokesperson said: 'ITV takes careful steps to ensure that pre-watershed drama is appropriate for a family audience, and the Stape murder scenes in Coronation Street were fully compliant.'
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