Daughter horrifically hears mum being beaten to death through her Ring doorbell
Catherine Flynn, 69, was murdered in her own home by Dean Mears, 34, who broke in and stamped on her face 15 times. Her daughter Natasha Flynn-Farrell, 38, heard the whole thing
The daughter of a woman who was viciously murdered in her own bedroom has spoken of the trauma that haunts her after she heard the fatal attack through a doorbell.
Natasha Flynn-Farrell, 38, watched in horror as Dean Mears, 34, broke into her mother’s home in Rhyl, North Wales, last October.
The shocking break-in was captured on Catherine Flynn’s Ring doorbell camera, and Natasha, watching the feed remotely, could only scream helplessly as Mears forced his way inside.
Moments later, she heard 69-year-old Catherine — who was frail, suffered from multiple health conditions, and used a Zimmer frame — being dragged from bed and stamped on repeatedly.
The audio captured the sound of 15 sickening thuds as Mears launched his fatal assault.
READ MORE: Video doorbell owners face £100,000 fine for breaking little-known ruleREAD MORE: 'I captured chilling Ring doorbell footage after moving to house in middle of nowhere'By the time police arrived, Mears had fled the scene and attempted to dispose of his bloodstained clothes. The beloved mum-of-four later died in hospital from injuries a pathologist compared to those seen in high-speed car crashes.
Mears, a drug addict, later claimed he was too intoxicated to remember the attack. In June, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Natasha described her mother as the heart of the family, saying: “Mum was our matriarch – our Queenie. She adored her children and grandchildren. She was kind, generous, and always there for us. The way she died was so brutal, so senseless. No punishment will ever be enough.”
Natasha continues to suffer from severe PTSD and says even hearing a doorbell in TV programmes now triggers flashbacks to the night of the attack.
Catherine, known as Cathy, had been in declining health since the death of her husband, Mick, in 2011. Despite her health conditions – including COPD, emphysema, arthritis, and a leaking heart valve, she remained fiercely independent and close to her family.
“She was tiny – like a little doll – but strong in spirit. I saw her every day. I helped with her meals and appointments. We were more than mother and daughter – we were best friends.”
Four days before the attack, the family had gone out together to book their first Christmas meal at a restaurant. Catherine, who loved Christmas, was looking forward to it.
On the night of the murder, Natasha was expecting her mum’s usual bedtime check-in call at 10:30pm. Instead, a Ring doorbell alert popped up on her phone.
“I saw a man breaking the door and smashing the window. Then I heard the thuds – and my mum pleading with him to stop.”
Natasha screamed through the camera’s speaker, called 999, and raced to the house, but police wouldn’t let her inside.
“I convinced myself she was OK – that maybe he’d just broken in and left. But in hospital, they told us her injuries were beyond repair. All the bones in her face were shattered.”
Catherine never regained consciousness. The next day, the family made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw life support.
“I held her hand, and we said a prayer. I told her, ‘Don’t worry, Mum – Dad is waiting for you.’ And then she was gone.”
Police quickly arrested Dean Mears, who was not known to the family. He later admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he had no memory of the incident. The jury disagreed.
At Caernarfon Crown Court, Judge Rhys Rowlands said: “You dragged her from her bed and stamped on her 15 times, breaking every bone in her face. She was tiny, frail, and terrified – but you showed no mercy. This was murder for gain. You are a dangerous individual.”
Natasha continues to receive support from police and family liaison officers but says the pain never truly fades. “He tore our lives apart. But Mum will never be forgotten. She was made of solid gold.”