Teen sentenced to prison for murdering mom

A 15-year-old British boy who was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison Monday for killing his mother said he was inspired by a TV show. Daniel Bartlam killed his mother, Jacqueline, by hitting seven times with a claw hammer on April 25 last year before burning her body, the London Evening Standard reported. "The circumstances of this crime are shocking and difficult to comprehend. We know that Daniel spent time planning to kill his mum, and then executed his plan overnight," said Detective Chief Inspector Kate Meynall, who led the investigation. "He then attempted to conceal evidence and cover his tracks by making up a story that his mum had been attacked by an intruder." The teenager was charged with murder for the incident. Bartlam said in court that he designed the killing around a plot on the show "Coronation Street," in which one of the characters, John Stape, killed a woman with a hammer. Bartlam claimed that he did not commit murder because he had lost self-control, but in February, a jury unanimously found him guilty of murder. When Bartlam was sentenced to life in prison, Justice Julian Flaux told him that he must serve a minimum of 16 years and described the killing as "grotesque" and "senseless." Flaux said it seemed as if the teenager had wanted to "get away with the perfect murder".