Forty-year grudge that led to bloodbath: Son, 51, yelled ‘You let us down’ as he attacked elderly parents who sent him to boarding school in the 1980s demanding they ‘compensate’ him for his ‘years of suffering’

• Ed Linse battered his father Nicholas Clayton, 85, and mother Julia, 82 
• He repeatedly demanded that his parents ‘compensated’ him for his ‘suffering’ 
• Police discovered the couple were being ‘manipulated’ financially by Linse

An embittered son attacked his wealthy parents at their £1.2million home over a 40-year grudge that began with him being sent to boarding school.

Ed Linse battered his father Nicholas Clayton, 85, and mother Julia, 82, while saying: ‘You let us down.’

The brutal late night attack came after the 51-year-old repeatedly demanded that his parents ‘compensated’ him for his ‘suffering’ while studying at an all-boys public school in the 1980s.

Retired engineer Mr Clayton spent five weeks in hospital after suffering head injuries consistent with being kicked, bitten, punched and strangled. His wife suffered bruising and a lump on her head.

Ed Linse battered his father Nicholas Clayton, 85, and mother Julia, 82, while saying: ‘You let us down’

Police investigating the assault at their £1.2million home in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, discovered the couple were being ‘manipulated’ financially by Linse, a father of two.

The Claytons agreed to a £240,000 equity release on the property in an effort to appease Linse after he sent his mother an abusive message, Chester Crown Court heard.

It read: ‘You are old and your evil husband is at death’s door, perhaps you might consider if taking your secrets to your grave is such a wise idea when who knows what awaits you there.’

Linse, from Alderley Edge, Cheshire, who had been ‘self-medicating with cannabis’, faced a charge of attempted murder on his father.

But his guilty plea to causing grievous bodily harm with intent was accepted and he admitted common assault on his mother.

After psychiatrists concluded he had had ‘manic psychosis’ at the time, the judge sentenced him to be kept in a secure facility until doctors deem him safe to be released.

Retired engineer Mr Clayton spent five weeks in hospital after suffering head injuries consistent with being kicked, bitten, punched and strangled. His wife suffered bruising and a lump on her head

The hearing was told the attack on April 22 this year was the culmination of a ‘strained relationship’ between Linse and his parents. Linse – whose change of surname was not explained – ‘never ceased telling them how unhappy he was at boarding school’, prosecutor Nicholas Williams said.

While the court was not told which school Linse attended, his father attended the prestigious Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. Past pupils include billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and Superman actor Henry Cavill. Mr Williams said Linse demanded help from his parents to support his Thai wife’s visa application and to fund their home.

The court heard that the Claytons’ other son Rupert believed his brother ‘manipulated them into giving him large amounts of money’. Mrs Clayton told Rupert she was scared of Linse, who told her he was owed compensation for his ‘traumatic teenage years’.

In 2014 Linse kept them ‘captive’ overnight, Mr Williams said, refusing to leave until they gave him his ‘inheritance’.

On another occasion he called his father a ‘stupid old man’ and ‘shook him aggressively’.

But they begged Rupert not to report the incidents to police, fearing Linse would ‘disappear’.

In 2015 Linse went to Thailand and got married. He then moved back two years later, and the business his parents had helped fund collapsed. He would turn up at their home and scream at them, Mr Williams said.

The final attack took place after he kicked down a porch door, the court heard. He first assaulted his father when he was in bed, knocking out a tooth and causing a bleed on the brain. Linse then went to another room where his mother was sleeping and ‘pummelled’ her on the head and back.

Linse had a previous conviction from 2019 after he battered his wife with a shoe and their two-year-old daughter’s Peppa Pig book.

She described a history of domestic violence and said that he blamed his rage on being unable to ‘deal with his emotions’ due to his traumatic school days.

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