Christchurch murder one of most 'unusual cases'- police
Karl Hutchings killed Julie Buckley before burying her remains
Police say the murder of a Christchurch woman is one of the most unusual cases it's ever dealt with.
Karl Hutchings has been given a life sentence in prison after killing 55-year-old Julie Buckley last year, before burying her remains in a nearby field.
Hutchings, 48, had denied murder but changed his plea to guilty on September 15 last year and showed police a map of where Ms Buckley’s body was after he learned that a psychiatric report did not support a diminished responsibility defence.
"A lot of the time we get a murder, a body's been recovered and that's your starting point but this was very different from that," Detective Chief Inspector Rich Stott, from Cambridgeshire Police, said.
"It's not something we usually have to deal with, it's very unusual and not something we expect to see in Cambridgeshire."
Julie, who like Hutchings was addicted to class A drugs, had been staying at his house in Christchurch.
She was last seen alive at a Budgens supermarket in March on January 28 last year.
Concerns were raised for her welfare after she failed to attend appointments, and judge Mark Bishop said based on available evidence, it is believed Julie was murdered between the afternoon of January 29 and the morning of January 30, 2025.
Judge Bishop said days later, Hutchings told a female friend he “had some women’s clothing for sale”, which she bought.
The judge said Hutchings said “if this friend wanted anyone killed you could kill them for her”.
The friend asked if Hutchings had done “anything stupid”, and he replied he could not say “until I’ve got rid of her and cleaned up”, the judge said.
Hutchings told the woman he had hit Ms Buckley “over the head with a hammer”, and said it was because she had not taken him to get drugs and had been taking drugs in front of him.
Julie was found in 10 pieces in a shallow grave in a field off Blue Lane, Wimblington after the killer’s disclosure, prosecutor Christine Agnew KC told Cambridge Crown Court on Monday.
"We had countless teams out searching around Christchurch and the Fens, and for me personally it was really important because for Julie and justice for her weighs heavy in the sense we need to find her for her son, friends and the community," Mr Stott said.
"We had a search adviser who helped us in terms of where the most likely places that people would dispose of bodies are.
"We use that expertise so as a major crime unit, we rely on these resources and do as much as we can to try and find these people."
Giving his sentencing remarks, judge Bishop said the murder was “an eruption of violence in the context of drug use.”
Speaking about the investigation, the judge said the preparation and investigation into the case was "extensive" and commended "officers for the work that’s been done."