A man who murdered his neighbour before trying to cover it up has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Concerns were raised for Jane Collinson after her partner was unable to gain access to her flat in an independent living housing complex in Barnard Castle on March 4.
The door appeared to have been locked from the inside and after several unsuccessful attempts to contact Jane, her partner, along with her daughter and son-in-law, forced entry only to discover the 59-year-old deceased on the couch with multiple injuries.
The police were called and after reviewing CCTV footage from outside her flat, officers identified her neighbour, Stephen Patrick Ansbro, as being the last person to see her alive.
Footage showed he had gone into the flat at around 11.30am on March 3 and spent seven hours inside before appearing to tamper with the door and leave on his mobility scooter that evening.
Officers found Ansbro at his own flat with injuries to his neck and swiftly arrested him on suspicion of murder.
He later told officers in a pre-prepared statement that he had sustained the injuries after Jane had tried to attack him with a knife, but he had managed to escape. He made ‘no comment’ answers for the rest of his police interview.
However, the evidence did not support his story, with a postmortem examination revealing Jane had sustained 59 stab wounds and defensive injuries. Investigators also identified Ansbro had tampered with the lock in attempt to cover up anyone having been inside Jane’s home, to cover his tracks. Ansbro was subsequently charged with murder.
The 60-year-old, of Barnard Castle, was remanded into custody and initially planned to plead not guilty but later changed his plea to guilty.
And today, August 7, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where Recorder of Newcastle, Judge Paul Sloan, described the murder as a “significantly brutal attack”.
He said: “The last moments of her [Jane’s] life must have been utterly terrifying and the mental and physical suffering excruciating.”
Ansbro was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. He will have to serve at least 18 years in prison for the offence before he is eligible for parole.
He was also sentenced to a further four years and nine months for historic sexual offences, 11 months for child cruelty and 14 days for breaching his bail conditions in unconnected offences. These will be served concurrently to each other but on top of the murder sentence.
D/Supt Andy Reynolds, of Durham Constabulary, said: “This was a calculated attack on a woman in her own home that Ansbro attempted to cover up and blame on the victim.
“The investigative work carried out by detectives uncovered the truth, revealing Ansbro’s actions and bringing him to justice.
“Our thoughts remain with Jane’s family and I would like to thank them for their strength and support during the investigation. I hope this conviction can support bringing them some form of closure.”
Негізгі бет "Brutal and calculating" | Killer caught on CCTV
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