Bexhill man who killed cousin with an axe sentenced to life
Donald Excell killed Rita Lambourne in a "frenzied attack"
Last updated 3 hours ago
A Bexhill man has been sentenced to life for murdering his cousin with an axe.
Donald Excell, of Seabourne Road, struck 58-year-old Rita Lambourne at least five times in her home last Feburary.
The then 49-year-old had snuck in through an unlocked back door just before 9:30pm when he carried out the attack, which left her with catastrophic injuries to her head, chest and arms.
His clothing and an axe sheaf were later found weighed down by a sandbag at the bottom of a lake, where teenagers had been fishing.
A full search of the lake later uncovered the weapon itself.
During the trial, family said that the pair had fallen out over a year before the attack - with Excell alleging the family had been part of an undercover pedophile ring.
Lambourne had told loved ones that Excell "lost it" and threatened to kill her.
Sentencing, her honour Judge Henson KC described it as a "frenzied attack" - where he "cut through skin tissue, muscle and bones".
"It appears, that you had become pre-occupied with a self-made conspiracy theory," she said.
"There is absolutely no evidence of any such cover up, although you sought to share it with others in the family."
Jurors heard from Ms Lambourne's sister, Claire Haldane, who found Rita after she'd been killed, and told the court Excell "liked to be more intelligent and have the last word".
Daughter: "We ourselves are serving a life sentence"
Taking deep breaths as she read a victim impact statement to the court, Rita’s daughter Lucy Lambourne described the “devastating and lasting impact on her life”:
“She was more than my mother – she was my best friend.
“I am constantly reliving it every day, and I am no longer who I used to be.
“This tragedy…has torn through the entire family. "We ourselves are serving a life sentence."
Family could be heard crying in the court, as Excell listened to the victim impact statements from the dock, showing no emotion.
Excell had also been previously convicted of multiple offences between the 90s and 2019, including battery and threatening behaviour.
The court heard he'd also previously attacked his dad, leaving him "living in fear".
He was found unanimously guilty of Rita's murder in December, as well as having an offensive weapon in a public place.