A teenager obsessed with the Chucky horror films beat his father to death before he attacked his mother and a boy, 11, in a terrifying incident in his own home.
Fabio Botros, now 20, attacked his father with a hammer shortly before breakfast while the family were getting ready to go on holiday to Egypt in April last year.
He then went on a rampage chasing his mother and sister in their Brighton home.
Lewes Crown Court heard that Botros’ sister, Giulia, could be heard shouting from an upstairs window: ‘No, No! Stop. Help! Help! Call the police.’
When police arrived at the house on the quiet residential street they found a scene of carnage.
Emad Botros-Farag, 57, an Egyptian-born Deliveroo driver who ‘doted on his family’, was found sitting on the sofa with a hammer lodged in his head. Having suffered catastrophic head injuries he was later pronounced dead.
Botros’ mother, Maria Marvin and an 11-year-old boy were found outside the house bleeding from stab wounds and they were quickly rushed to hospital.
His sister was found shocked and distressed nearby.
Fabio Botros, now 20, attacked his father with a hammer shortly before breakfast while the family were getting ready to go on holiday to Egypt in April last year
Emad Botros-Farag, 57, an Egyptian-born Deliveroo driver, was found by police sitting on the sofa with a hammer lodged in his head. He was later pronounced dead
Armed police arrested the then-19-year-old Botros inside the family home.
Fabio Botros appeared at Lewes Crown Court today where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, one charge of wounding with intent and one charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
The pleas were accepted at Lewes Crown Court after it heard Botros suffered from serious mental health problems
Botros has a history of mental health problems and had undiagnosed autism.
The teenager had become obsessed with horror films, particularly the gruesome Child’s Play series of films whose main character – Chucky – has become a horror icon.
The court heard that Botros spent a large sum of money building a collection of Chucky dolls and he kept the dolls in his bedroom where he would spend hours watching the films by himself.
Ryan Richter, prosecuting, said: ‘He had become fixated with horror films. He spent considerable sums amassing a collection of Chucky dolls.’
Throughout 2024 his mental health deteriorated and he would talk to himself, become violent and break things around the house.
Botros’ mother Maria Marvin who he chased with a knife stabbing her multiple times. She survived the attack
Botros’ sister Giulia, could be heard shouting from an upstairs window: ‘No, No! Stop. Help! Help! Call the police’
The court heard that during one particular episode Botros, smashed up the house and began speaking in a strange voice saying he wanted to kill his family.
He was treated as an in-patient at two mental health units before being placed on anti-psychotic drugs and discharged.
The court heard the drugs appeared to work and condition began to improve and later in 2024 a decision was taken to gradually take him off take him off his antipsychotic medication and replace it with an antidepressant.
Mr Richter, said: ‘It was quite clear that reduced dose later had tragic effects.’
He told the court the teenager began to deteriorate again, started speaking to himself once more and was staying up all night pacing around the house and failed to attend college.
In March 2025 his father had requested an urgent referral so that his son could be seen by his mental health team.
But before that could happen the family had organised holiday in their native Egypt last Easter.
The court heard they had packed their bags and were waiting for a taxi to the airport when the tragedy happened.
Chucky – the main villian in the Child’s Play horror series. The court heard that Botros spent a large sum of money building a collection of Chucky dolls and he kept the dolls in his bedroom where he would spend hours watching the films by himself
Forensic police outside the scene of the crime in Brighton last year
Botros, who had been seen talking to himself earlier that morning, came downstairs and told his father he wanted to take an extra bag on holiday.
A heated argument broke out between the pair over the restrictions on luggage allowance and the teenager grabbed a hammer from under the sink and attacked Emad.
Alerted by his cries of ‘Stop, Stop. Please Stop!’ his wife, Maria ran into the kitchen and began trying to wrestle the hammer out of her son’s hand.
Botros grabbed a kitchen knife from a drawer and began stabbing his mother, causing injuries to her face and torso.
His sister, Giulia, tried to get him to stop and the pair fled out of the kitchen but Botros pursued them and continued trying to stab his mother.
Both his mother and sister then ran outside onto the lawn and he followed them still trying to attack his mother.
Hearing the commotion several neighbours rushed out and tried to protect her and Giulia managed to push Botros away and he eventually went back into the house.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene where they found Egyptian-born Mr Botros-Farag with a hammer embedded in his head. He was clearly dead, the court heard.
Lewes Crown Court where Botoros was on trial (file image)
Botros was arrested at the scene and taken into custody before being transferred to a mental health unit where he remains.
Both his mother, Maria, and the 11-year-old boy have recovered from their injuries.
The court was told that since the incident Botros has been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
The court heard that since the killing Botros had admitted experiencing hallucinations and felt like he lived in another world.
He said a character from the Chucky movies, Pearl, spoke to him and urged him to kill someone, saying that if he did so they could start a romantic relationship together.
Botros said he suffered severe hallucinations, both auditory and visual, and believed the life he led was not real and an alternate reality lay waiting for him.
The court heard he believed if he killed he would become elevated to a saint and his family would be brought back to life.
Botros, who attended court via a videolink, sat emotionless as he entered three guilty pleas to the charges as they were read out.
Judge Christine Laing KC, said: ‘This is a profoundly sad case. Emad Botros-Farag was described by those who knew him as a private man but was always friendly and smiling.’
She said he was ‘a loving father’ who did all he could to ensure Botros received the mental health treatment he required.
The Judge added that Botros had exhibited mental health problems for some years but had never exacerbated his condition with drugs or alcohol and had engaged with his mental health team.
She said: ‘The decision to reduce [his medication] led to a rapid decline in his mental heath which resulted in these dreadful events.’
An indefinite hospital order was imposed on Botros along with a Section 41 to ensure the safety of the public which means that any discharge, leave or transfer requires Ministry of Justice approval.
Earlier Ollie Johnston, a fellow Deliveroo driver who worked with Mr Botros-Farag, said: ‘It’s so shocking. Emad loved his family and was absolutely dedicated to his kids.
‘He had been a delivery driver for years and he was very much part of our community. We’re pretty tight-knit and he was just part of our group. He would do anything for anyone. He was a really lovely guy.’
Another colleague Dirceu Antunes said: ‘He was just such a nice guy.. He had a good sense of humour and he was a loving father.’