Woman jailed for life after murdering pensioner neighbour in Newcastle
A woman has been jailed for life after admitting murdering her neighbour when she attacked him in a Newcastle street.
A woman has been jailed for life after admitting murdering her neighbour when she attacked him in a Newcastle street.
On the evening of November 11 last year, police received a report of a disturbance at an address on Sceptre Place, in the Elswick area of the city.
Emergency services attended the scene and a man – 68-year-old John Hardy – was found to have sustained serious injuries consistent with being caused by a bladed article before staggering back to the home of a neighbour.
Despite the efforts of paramedics who were called to the scene, Mr Hardy sadly died a short time later.
Following Mr Hardy’s death, Northumbria Police launched a full investigation into the circumstances and a neighbour of his – Brenda Heslop – was arrested.
Detectives uncovered evidence that Heslop believed Mr Hardy owed her a small amount of money and had been unsuccessful in getting it from him.
Heslop armed herself with a knife and waited near the victim’s home to carry out a pre-meditated attack on him as he returned from nearby shops, before walking back to her own home.
When officers arrived and informed Heslop she was being arrested for Mr Hardy’s murder, she said: “Oh he’s never died, has he?”
Heslop was then charged with murder and initially pleaded not guilty to the offence. She was due to stand trial at Newcastle Crown Court in March but days before the hearing was due to begin she pleaded guilty to the offence, after which she was remanded in custody.
Heslop, 63, was back before the same court today (Friday) where she was told she will serve a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years.
Mr Hardy’s family have today released the following tribute to him.
They said: “Our lovely brother John was tragically taken from us and is truly missed every day by all his family and friends. We live with this nightmare every day and our lives are changed forever.
“We would like to thank his friends and neighbours who were there at the time and who went to his aid to give him comfort in his final moments.
“We would also like to thank Northumbria Police for their ongoing support and keeping us updated throughout this devastating and sad time in our lives. We know that today’s sentence will not bring John back but we hope it will give us some closure.
“We sincerely hope that the perpetrator of this horrific crime takes the time to reflect on what she has done and the impact it has had on our family.”
Following the sentencing hearing, the Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atherton, of Northumbria Police’s Major Investigation Team (MIT), said: “Firstly, we’d like to say that our thoughts very much remain with John’s family and loved ones following his tragic death.
“He was killed in one of the cruellest ways possible and our hope is that now his murderer has been jailed those who were closest to him are able to take some degree of closure following the ordeal they have been through in recent months.”
Det Chief Insp Atherton added: “Brenda Heslop’s actions on November 11 last year were despicable and once again this is another tragic case which highlights the very real and irreversible consequences of carrying a blade.
“We are glad that following a thorough investigation by our officers she pleaded guilty to murder and will spend a significant period of time behind bars.
“There are never any winners when it comes to knife crime and I sincerely hope this sends a strong and sobering message to our communities across the North East. To anybody who makes the conscious decision to arm themselves with a knife or weapon, think again – as you undoubtedly risk ruining more than one life forever and that includes your own.”
If you have any information about anybody you believe may be carrying a knife or a weapon, let Northumbria Police know by sending the Force a direct message on social media or by using the live chat and report forms which are both on the Force website.