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| NEWS |  | | | | | | | | | | | WEST HAM | | | SOUTHEND UNITED | |
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Updated: Shirley's killer jailed for life
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| Brian Hudson |
A "HEARTLESS bully" showed no emotion as he was sentenced to at least 14 years behind bars for murdering his partner in a drunken rage.
Shirley Akhurst's battered and near-naked body was discovered in the home she shared with Brian Hudson in the Slades, Vange.
Ms Akhurst, 43, suffered 40 injuries, including fractured ribs and a punctured lung, and there was evidence she had been repeatedly stamped upon, punched and kicked before being left to die.
Hudson, 61, an alcoholic, was holding a camera when he was arrested, which contained photos of Ms Akhurst's body in different poses.
At Basildon Crown Court yesterday, Judge Philip Clegg jailed Hudson for life and told him he must serve a minimum of 14 years before he is released.
Judge Clegg described Ms Akhurst as "utterly loyal" to Hudson, even though he regularly beat her during their ten-year relationship, adding this cycle of domestic violence led to her tragic death.
Judge Clegg said: "Finally, on the night of March 20 last year, you did it once too often and killed her.
"What is plain is you resorted to serious violence towards this tiny woman.
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| Shirley Akhurst |
"It is clear from the medical evidence that on at least two occasions that night you must have stamped on her.
"Once at least on her stomach and once at least on her chest, causing appalling internal injuries.
"That is to say nothing about the blows to her head that caused her a degree of brain damage.
"I am also concerned that in your drunken state it is very unlikely that you realised you were looking at a dying woman and simply thought she would recover from her injuries as she always had in the past."
Judge Clegg said Hudson changed from a "reasonable pleasant man to a heartless bully" when drunk.
He also said if it had been proven the defendant, who did not give evidence at his trial, deliberately left her to die, he would have been jailed for longer.
8:42am Monday 31st March 2008
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