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Archive for October 2011

Oct
28

Sexist Violence Against Women is Hate Crime

by Jean Calder
On 28th October, the International Day against Hate Crime, Vincent Tabak was convicted of the murder of Jo Yeates. It has emerged that, like Graham Coutts, who killed Brighton music teacher Jane Longhurst in 2003, Tabak was a consumer of sadistic pornography depicting strangulation of women.

A day earlier, serial killer Robert Black was convicted of the sadistic sexual assault and murder of Jennifer Cardy. He is known to have murdered at least 3 other girls and to have cruelly victimised others. On the same day there were reports of  appeals by 3 recently convicted wife-killers. One was Jon Clinton, whose wife Dawn reportedly tried vainly to escape his abuse. According to a Crown Prosecution Service statement following his trial “Jon Clinton was a controlling husband and couldn’t accept Dawn’s increasing independence, so he killed her in cold blood….”

How extraordinary it is that under British law, despite the fact that these killers deliberately targeted females and assumed the right of life or death over them, none is considered to have been guilty of hate crime – nor could that possibility have formally been considered by investigating officers.

Racist and homophobic attacks and crimes against religious communities, disabled or transgendered people are deemed hate crimes and attract increased sentences. However, the law does not accept that hate crime against women exists – even when offenders repeatedly target the same or different women or use grossly sexist language during assaults. The law acknowledges that prejudice can give rise to violence, but fails to accept that attitudes of loathing and contempt for women make them a target too.

Between three and four women and girls die each week as a result of male violence, of which two are killed by partners and ex-partners. Although this is a higher annual death rate than existed during the years of Northern Ireland conflict and exceeds troop loss in Iraq and Afghanistan, no government has yet made safety for women and girls a political and financial priority, still less examined its roots in sexism and prejudice.

If Jo Yeates’ death had been tried as a hate crime it is unlikely that Vincent Tabak’s interest in images of violence against women could have been kept from the jury. It is also highly likely that the tariff set would have been higher than 20 years.

0 Categories : Deaths in 2010, Deaths in 2011, Deaths in 2012, Deaths prior to 2010, Media Coverage, Murder, Sadistic Killing, Sex Killing
Oct
26

Heather Cooper

by Jean Calder
Died 16th October 2011
Heather Cooper (33) was a successful and well-liked detective constable who worked for Surrey Police. Mother to two small children, the youngest of whom was born only a month before her death, she was still on maternity leave when she was killed on 16th October 2011.

According to reports, she was battered around the head with a baseball bat and stabbed in the throat before her body was dumped in Blackdown Woods, near Lurgashall in West Sussex, and covered with leaves. Ms Cooper’s partner, former detective Peter Foster (35), has been charged with her murder. Foster is a heating engineer who worked for Surrey Police until he was made redundant.

Police were called to the family’s home in West Street, Haslemere on Sunday 16th October after concerns had been raised about Ms Cooper’s safety over the weekend. Ms Cooper’s body was found four miles away in Tennyson Lane in Blackdown Woods in the early hours of Monday 17th October.

Police said a knife and a baseball bat had been discovered at the family home where they believe she was killed.

A post-mortem examination showed Ms Cooper had sustained “blunt force trauma to the head and an incised wound to the throat.”

Her family said: “As a family we are devastated by the loss of Heather in such tragic circumstances.” They added: “She was a much-loved daughter, sister and granddaughter as well as a devoted mother to her children. Heather was popular amongst everyone she knew and we have been touched by all the flowers and tributes we have received from her friends and her colleagues. She was extremely proud to serve as a police officer, often going above and beyond in her duty, and her dedication and professionalism was recognised and commended. Heather always had lots of energy, so much so her initials H.S.C. could have stood for ‘High Speed Cooper’.She loved life and she lived it to the full.”

Surrey and Sussex Assistant Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said: “Heather’s death has had a profound effect on all who knew her and we are doing everything we can to support her family at this difficult time. She was an exceptional officer and much loved among her police colleagues, many of whom were also her friends.The police service is in many ways like a family. The death of any officer is always a time of sadness but to lose Heather under such circumstances has been particularly hard to bear. I cannot praise enough the professionalism of Heather’s friends and colleagues within the force, many of whom have continued to do their jobs at a time of personal grief.”

Police are hoping to trace witnesses who saw a silver BMW estate car in the area of West Street and Tennyson’s Lane near the Blackdown Woods car park between 11am and 11pm on Sunday 16th October.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick May, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: ”I am urging anyone who may have seen this vehicle during that day in these locations to contact police. Your information could prove vital.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey Police on 01483 571212.

Note: This report was compiled from reports in the Daily Mail, Sky News, BBC News and the Daily Telegraph.

1 Categories : Deaths in 2011, In Memorium, Murder, Unsolved Homicide
Oct
20

Jo Yeates and her Parents Deserve Respect

by Jean Calder
TV News coverage of the trial of Jo Yeates’ killer plumbed new depths this evening.

Not only did it continue its mawkish and obscenely detailed account of both the evidence and the responses of her bereaved parents -describing their tears and those of the perpetrator as if there was some equivalence between them, it also presented Vincent Tabak’s account of Jo Yeates’ death as if it were established fact, commenting on how difficult it must have been for her parents to hear what happened in the “last minutes” of their daughter’s life.

Difficult it may have been, but there is no reason to assume that what he described actually happened (though it may), given that he is defending himself against a murder charge. There will be a legal determination at the end of the trial. However, the truth is that her parents and boyfriend will probably never know exactly what happened to her.

Television and newspaper coverage of this case has been intrusive and titillating and at times irresponsible. After the crocodile tears shed over press intrusion in the Milly Dowler case, it seems no lessons have been learned. No laws are being broken, but a dead woman is being exploited and a family being publicly crushed and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop it.

0 Categories : Opinion
Oct
19

Casey Brittle

by Jean Calder
Died October 2010
Casey Brittle (21), described by her mother as a “beautiful bubbly girl”, lived in Nottingham and was the mother of a two year old daughter.

In October 2010 she was beaten to death in front of her child by her violent ex-partner, Sanchez Williams. She died from a series of injuries to her head, including a fractured jaw, cuts and bruising. Sanchez Williams was jailed for life for murder and will serve at least 25 years.

Ms Brittle’s daughter was heard crying and screaming as her mother was beaten to death. Four times the little girl walked into the room to find her father continuing the attack. A neighbour was said to have heard Ms Brittle’s daughter screaming “I want my mummy” as her father attacked her mother. She stayed in her bedroom on her own for two hours as her mother lay unconscious.

Ms Brittle had repeatedly called Nottinghamshire Police police for help, but they failed to intervene on 11 separate occasions.

On 18th October 2011, Amerdeep Somal, a commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), published a report which is highly critical of Nottinghamshire Police. She said that Sanchez, of Lathkill Close, Nottingham, was “well known to local police for his propensity for violence and threatening behaviour”.

She added “In this case it is clear that a number of officers failed to perform to the level expected of them and basic actions, that may have helped others see the full picture of her suffering, were not completed. No consideration was given to why Casey was reporting domestic abuse but then subsequently saying that she did not want police help.”

Police received allegations of domestic violence and abuse against Ms Brittle between September 2008 and August 2010. The IPCC report recorded a number of force and individual errors. The IPCC spokesperson said: “As a consequence of the investigation, six officers faced misconduct for their roles in three incidents, while a further four officers have been dealt with through unsatisfactory performance procedures. Aside from failures by individual officers, the investigation identified the lack of a thorough corporate approach to domestic abuse from Nottinghamshire Police. This resulted in a lack of knowledge and support for officers in their attempts to provide victims with the necessary support.”

Ms Brittle’s mother, Victoria Blower, said: “I know mistakes were made in dealing with previous attacks involving Casey, but there is only one person responsible for my daughter’s death and that is Sanchez Williams,” she said.

Ms Blower said “Although there is no way of knowing whether Casey could have been saved, I sincerely hope that in the future a better attitude towards women at risk will ensure their safety. I would also urge people not to close their own eyes and ears if they see or hear somebody experiencing domestic abuse, but to pick up the phone and call the police. You never know, it might be your call that saves a person’s life. It is too late for my beautiful bubbly girl, but don’t let it be your daughter, neighbour or friend who is next.”

This report was compiled from reports in the Yorkshire Post, Daily Mail and the Times.

0 Categories : Deaths in 2010, Domestic killing, In Memorium, Murder
Oct
19

Casey Brittle – Editorial Comment

by Jean Calder

The IPCC’s report into the Casey Brittle case was just the latest into failings in the way police forces deal with domestic violence.

Other Similar IPCC Investigations of the Police

Denise Skilbeck: The IPCC is currently investigating contact between Nottinghamshire Police and a Denise Skilbeck (31) before her death in Newark in March. She was found dead with head injuries. Gary Spalding, 34, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 20 years, at Nottingham Crown Court after admitting her murder.

Gail Hdili: In 2010, the IPCC examined contact Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire police officers had with Gail Hdili before she was subjected to a knife attack by her husband Adel Hdili. He attacked her in Nottingham in January 2009 in front of their young son. Police from both forces were found to have failed to take “crucial steps” in the lead-up tothe knife attack. She has permanent scars and has lost her sight in one eye.

Joy Small (24) and her children Aubarr (3) and Chanarra (2): The IPCC is currently examining how Leicestershire Police handled complaints of harassment to a woman who was later killed with her two children by her former partner. Aram Abdul Razaq Aziz (32) is believed to have murdered them before killing himself in Leicester in February 2011. The IPPC said that Leicestershire Police had identified eight occasions between 2006 and 2010 where contact with the family arose from reports of harassment and allegations of domestic abuse.

Karen Brookes (37): had two children. She was murdered by Kevin Sainsbury in November 2009 after months of physical and verbal abuse from her former lover. At the time of the attack, Sainsbury (51), who had been in a relationship with Ms Brookes for 15 years, had been granted bail by magistrates after being charged with threatening to kill her. He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court to 25 years. In this case the IPCC did not criticise the police, but Leicestershire Police called for magistrates to be offered extra training in domestic abuse awareness.

0 Categories : Opinion
Oct
18

Shirley Goring – Editorial Opinion

by Jean Calder
The newspaper reports and some police statement are remarkable for the lack of information about the victim herself and the implicit suggestion that she precipitated the violence by profligate spending.

Only one of the newspaper articles we saw reported that it was Warren Goring who controlled the family’s finances – though there could at any stage of the trial have been a reasonable assumption it was he, given that his wife did not know of the imminent eviction until the day of her death. The Daily Mail reported the prosecutor as saying the couple had a ‘traditional marriage’, with Goring the main breadwinner, taking charge of the finances, but many newspaper seemed to have ignored this.

Local newspaper reports and headlines focussed upon the prosecutor’s statement that much of the couple’s debt since 2008 came from expenditure of £10,000 on ladies’ jewellery, largely ignoring the fact that both seemed to have been involved in spending. Most newspapers did not indicate the size of Goring’s public sector pension nor report that his 2008 payout from his managerial job at the Crown Prosecution Service was £39,000. They did not give information about how the rest of the money was spent, nor question why the couple’s rent arrears could not have been met by some means such as sale of Goring’s Nissan X Trail car or the jewellery itself.

Goring appears to have been able to support a plea of manslaughter on the basis of stress due to debt and possibly provocation due to allegedly verbally challenging behaviour by his wife, on the night of her death. There were of course no witnesses to this alleged behaviour, but assuming it did occur, it is interesting to note that none of the newspaper reports we read acknowledged that distress and anger might be a reasonable response by anyone who learns that the family’s financial situation is so bad that she and her husband are to be evicted the next day.

Ms Goring did not kill her husband. He killed her. Yet the statements from some legal personnel and police refer to the case as if it were a family tragedy equally afflicting both parties, rather than a brutal killing of one person by another.

The truth is that many people are struggling with debt and the rows that go with it, but do so without killing their partners.

0 Categories : Domestic killing, Murder, Opinion
Oct
18

Shirley Goring

by Jean Calder
Died 17th February 2011
Shirley Goring (63) lived in All Saints Way, Mundesley, Norfolk until she was killed by her husband of 40 years. Regrettably, newspaper reports provide almost no  information about her.

Shirley’s husband Warren Goring (67) was a retired Crown Prosecution Service manager, who had also worked as a Derbyshire Police counter clerk at Matlock Police Station.

Goring, who retired in 2008, said that he killed Shirley Goring as a result of a row about debts after Ms Goring discovered the couple were due to be evicted from their home the next day. The prosector in the case, Oliver Glasgow, told Chelmsford Crown Court: “He attacked her while she sat in their bed and brutally strangled her to death. The reason would appear to be the couple’s poor finances or, if Warren Goring is to be believed, he didn’t like the way his wife spoke to him when she spoke about their money.” Goring told police officers he “flipped” but claimed he had no recollection of the killing. He denied murder, but admitted manslaughter.

Goring, who worked for the Norfolk Prosecution Service for 26 years, told the court: “She was very, very upset and I was just getting more and more frustrated. I was being accused of mismanaging money and making fools of us.”

The prosecutor told the court there was no dispute over whether Goring killed his wife. He stated “The issue is what he intended when he held her in an armlock, covered her mouth and strangled her as she tried to fight him off”. The prosecutor added: ‘It is clear that he grabbed her from behind and crushed her neck for long enough to strangle her. She fought back, injuring him, but it did nothing to deter him. He must have held on for 20 or 30 seconds. He ignored her desperate struggle for survival and must have felt her slowly slipping into unconsciousness.”

The prosecutor added that the couple had a “traditional marriage”, with Goring the main breadwinner and taking charge of the finances.

Goring was cleared of murder by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court, in September 2011.

Passing sentence, on 14th October 2011, Judge Charles Gratwicke said: “This court heard that you applied force to her neck for at least 20 to 30 seconds.” He added “It is clear from her injuries that she desperately tried to fight you off but to no avail.”

Despite the brutality of the killing, Goring was only sentenced to six and a half years in gaol.

Opening the case, Oliver Glasgow said the couple were “broke, living beyond their means, about to be evicted and facing bankruptcy.” Goring had received a lump sum of £39,000 when he retired from the CPS in 2008, but said they had “spent it”. A specialist financial officer Detective Constable Ian Starland said the couple bought items totalling £15,156 from a TV auction company, beginning in 2008.

Goring said: “Shirley had been several sizes bigger than she was and the clothing she had was not fitting her. We thought it was a good opportunity to effectively re-clothe Shirley. I also bought DIY items and clothing.” However, he said he stopped the purchases in 2010 “because money was getting tight”.

Goring described a “blazing row” after telling his wife they were due to be evicted the next day.  He said: “I sort of prevailed that we would go into a bed and breakfast, our property go into storage and our dog Lucy would go into kennels and having agreed what we were going to do, we went to bed at about 11pm. We switched on the television, watched some and switched it off and the row started again. I said ‘we’ve resolved this’, but she just kept going on about it. It would go all quiet then it would start again; it just went on and on and on.It was the tone of her voice – I desperately wanted it to stop. I just wanted to be quiet so I could get some sleep so I’d be in a better frame of mind about what was going to happen the next day. I really got so frustrated about the way I was being spoken to.”

Bailiffs found Ms Goring’s body face down on the bed. Goring’s car was spotted by police in West Norfolk who arrested him. He said he had driven to Chesterfield in Derbyshire, to drop off their dog off with friends and had been intending to go to the police.

Tim Brown, in mitigation, said: “The life of Shirley Goring was a precious one to Warren Goring, they had been married for more than 40 years, he loved her and he still loves her. She met her death at his hands and the knowledge and burden of that will be with Mr Goring for his existence and that burden is incalculable. Any sentence imposed by a court, whilst not irrelevant, bears no relation to the fact he must find a way of living with himself.” He added that Goring had been under severe stress at the time of the killing.

The judge said he accepted that the pair had a “long and happy” marriage and said “It is clear that your love for her remains undiminished.”

Detective Inspector Sarah Pettengell, who led the investigation, said: “Shirley’s death was a tragic waste of life and our thoughts are with her friends at this difficult time.” She added: “Shirley and Warren were married for more than 40 years and it is very sad that such issues could not be resolved and ultimately led to Shirley losing her life and Warren losing his liberty.”

This report was drawn from the BBC News, the Norwich Evening News, the North Norfolk News and The Daily Mail.

1 Categories : Deaths in 2011, Domestic Violence, Murder
Oct
16

Jennifer Phelps

by Jean Calder
Died 14th March 2011
Jennifer Phelps (64) was killed on 14th March 2011. She was strangled by her husband John Phelps (64) at her home in Friston, East Sussex. He then killed himself by jumping from the cliffs at Beachy Head.

An inquest in October 2011 heard that he had financial problems and that he left a written confession. East Sussex Coroner Alan Craze said he felt John Phelps had become depressed. He recorded a verdict of unlawful killing for Jennifer Phelps and suicide for her killer.

At the time of the deaths it was reported that there were no known reasons for the violence. Sussex Police’s Detective Inspector Carwyn Hughes was quoted as saying “This appears to be a tragic series of events.”

At the inquest, Detective Inspector Hughes said “It was evident increasing pressures on John Phelps were the foundation for his actions. This was a tragic situation in which a very proud man, who hitherto had dearly loved his wife, killed her through his perceived despair of the financial situation he found themselves in. Instead of seeking help or letting others know the extent of the the problems, he took the terrible decision to murder her and kill himself.”

Ms Phelp’s son David said “My dad has always been a very successful, hard working and proud man. Sadly, he went from a man who had almost everything to a man who had more or less nothing.”

Reportedly neighbours referred to them as a couple “very much in love”.

This report was compiled from reports in the Argus newspaper and from the Daily Mail.

1 Categories : Deaths in 2011, Domestic killing, Homicide / Suicide, In Memorium, Murder
Oct
10

Jia Ashton

by Jean Calder
Update – 10th October 2011
A couple who had been walking their dog on the day Ms Ashton disappeared reported that they had seen a man of “possibly homeless appearance” in Sleetmoor Woods. Officers took fingerprints and DNA samples from people registered homeless in the area, and later arrested a man.

David Simmonds (21) from Heanor, reportedly the son of a company director, initially denied the murder, but changed his plea to guilty on 29 September 2011.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that he battered Ms Ashton to death in a “sustained and brutal attack” and then hid her body beneath logs and branches. Police said the ferocity of the attack caused her to suffer severe injuries and broken ribs. She died of a compression to the chest, which caused her heart to fatally rupture.

Simmonds was told he would serve a minimum term of 27 years and 213 days.

Ms Ashton, a business analyst and economics graduate, who had been to see a doctor to discuss starting a family shortly before her death, was described in court as “conscientious, determined and focused” with “every prospect of a successful career”.

A letter from Ms Ashton’s mother Penny (Pan) Ning, who has returned to her hometown in China, was read out to the court. Mrs Ning said she felt like “a ghost” whose life had been destroyed.

She wrote that Simmonds had “… killed my hopes, my dreams and my future. All of my joy in life died with my darling daughter. He killed the children they (Jia and her husband Matthew) had planned to have together. The grandchildren I longed for but now will never hold.

“I have been in torment since the day my daughter died. My heart is broken and my pain is made worse because I cannot understand why David Simmonds did this and because I cannot understand – I cannot forgive.”

Ms Ashton,  weighed 6 stone and was 4’10” in height. Simmonds weighed 19 stone and was 6’2” tall. Judge Michael Stokes QC asked the  court: ‘Can you imagine a more unequal contest?’ He said her final moments must have been ones of “abject terror”. The injuries she suffered were so horrific that a pathologist compared them to those suffered in a car accident or a fall from a tall building.

Following the killing, Simmonds buried her body under logs and rocks before leaving to order fish and chips from his local shop. He pretended to friends at the shop that the scratches on his arms and face were caused after he got into a pub brawl to “protect a girl”.

Mrs Ashton’s body was found three days later by a mountain rescue dog following an intensive search of the local area. At the time Simmonds was staying at the homes of various friends after an argument with his parents. He  and had taken out a £30 crisis loan on the day he killed the young woman.

The court heard Simmonds claimed to have ‘panicked’ while attempting to rob Mrs Ashton, possibly after she fought back or recognised him. They lived in the same area and Simmonds had been employed at Thorntons as a seasonal Christmas worker.

Police suspected a “sexual element” to the assault, though there was no forensic evidence to prove this. While Ms Ashton had not been sexually assaulted, her clothing had been pulled up, exposing her abdomen, where contact DNA was recovered. Her purse was also empty.

Judge Stokes commented that her horrific injuries, including a ruptured heart, suggested a “sinister motive” and “dangerous hidden aspects” to Simmonds. He said to Simmonds: “Had your motive been only robbery, given the huge disparity in size and weight, you would have had a simple task of relieving her of the few pounds she had in her possession. I am satisfied that, whatever the motive, you intended to kill her.”

Update – 16th March 2011
The Daily Mail of 17.3.11 reported that the man questioned is believed to have been Jia’s husband, Matthew Ashton. He had reported her missing on Friday, the day after she failed to return home.

Police arrested Matthew Ashton and requested an additional 30 hours to question him. He was later released without charge and the police  have appealed to local people for information.

Died 10th March 2011
Jia Ashton (25) of Somercotes, Derbyshire, was a graduate trainee for chocolate maker Thorntons. According to her company profile, she graduated from Warwick University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science honours degree in economics.

She was reported missing on Friday 11th March evening by her husband Matthew, a music teacher. Now a body identified as hers has been found in woodlands behind an industrial estate.

According to the Daily Mail, Ms Ashton was last seen just after 5.00pm on Thursday when she left work at Thorntons in nearby Swanwick. Her body was found on Sunday evening by a search dog working with a mountain rescue team. Police revealed she died after being ‘assaulted’. A spokesman said: ‘There is no evidence that a weapon was used and there was no apparent sexual assault.’

Jonathan Hart, chief executive of Thorntons, said: ‘We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic death of our colleague Jia Ashton. Jia was a highly respected and well-liked colleague and friend, with a bright future ahead of her.”

A 26-year-old man who was arrested on Sunday evening on suspicion of murder appeared before magistrates in Derby yesterday where police successfully applied for an extension of 30 hours to his detention. He remains in custody and will be questioned further.

 

0 Categories : Deaths in 2011, In Memorium, Murder

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