THE son of a woman who was tortured and stabbed to a death by a homeless man she offered shelter to is campaigning for him to remain behind bars.

Scott Hilling, 32, tortured Good Samaritan Kathleen Griffin with a scalpel before stabbing her 14 times.

Hilling watched television in Ms Griffin’s home in Old Street, Clacton, after stabbing her in both sides of the neck and chest in December 2015.

He then attempted to torch her body in a wheelie bin, before covering her corpse with a duvet and going to visit a friend.

Echo: Investigation - police officers at Kathleen Griffin's house in Old Street, ClactonInvestigation - police officers at Kathleen Griffin's house in Old Street, Clacton (Image: Steve Argent)

Ms Griffin, 57, had welcomed the disturbed lodger into her home just four months prior to the brutal killing.

Hilling admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was locked up in a secure mental health hospital for 16 years.

He is due to be released in December this year after serving half of his sentence and will then will be monitored until 2032 by the probation service.

Echo: Killer - Scott HillingKiller - Scott Hilling (Image: Essex Police)

Echo: Probe - police officers at the scene in ClactonProbe - police officers at the scene in Clacton (Image: Steve Argent)

Ms Griffin’s son, Dale McMullan, 38, is now campaigning for his mother’s killer to serve the full 16 year sentence behind bars.

He said: “I feel it’s wrong that after everything he did he only has to serve eight years.

“I fear he’s going to go and do what he did to my mum to someone else when he’s free. He massively took advantage of her.

“I’m doing this to save the community. My family and I are going to have to be constantly looking over our backs soon.”

Echo: Campaign - Dale McMullanCampaign - Dale McMullan (Image: Contribution)

Mr McMullan, who was 31 when Ms Griffin was killed, has launched a petition calling on Hilling to not be released until the entirety of his sentence is served in a prison cell.

Paying tribute to his mother, he said: “My mum was amazing, she would always put everyone else before herself.

“She would always take people in. The amount of people she helped was unreal.

Echo: Kind hearted - Kathleen GriffinKind hearted - Kathleen Griffin (Image: Essex Police)

Echo: Forensics - a forensics team investigates Ms Griffin's gardenForensics - a forensics team investigates Ms Griffin's garden (Image: Steve Argent)

“When she was killed everything in my head went fuzzy. It has been a long road since.”

Mr McMullan said he offers support to other people living with trauma via his TikTok account Awareness Army.

You can find his petition at bit.ly/3GWeigJ.