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Man pleads guilty to murder of artist Valerie Graves Man pleads guilty to murder of artist Valerie Graves
(32 minutes later)
Romanian Cristian Sabou admits killing 55-year-old at Christmas in 2013 Cristian Sabou admits killing woman in West Sussex at Christmas in 2013
A man has pleaded guilty to the murder in 2013 of Valerie Graves.A man has pleaded guilty to the murder in 2013 of Valerie Graves.
The killing of the 55-year-old artist at Christmas time shocked the village of Bosham in West Sussex. She was found bludgeoned to death in the ground-floor bedroom of a property where she was house-sitting. The killing of the artist days after Christmas shocked residents of Bosham village in West Sussex.
Cristian Sabou, previously of Dej, Romania, pleaded guilty to her murder when he appeared at Lewes crown court on Monday. Graves was found bludgeoned to death in the ground-floor bedroom of a property she was house-sitting.
Graves had just moved down from Scotland to be closer to her family, with whom she spent Christmas before she was found dead on 30 December. The killing sparked one of the longest murder hunts in Sussex police history, but it was not until July this year that Sabou was arrested in Romania and charged and extradited to the UK. Cristian Sabou, previously of Dej in Romania, pleaded guilty to her murder when he appeared at Lewes crown court on Monday.
Following Graves’s murder, her son, Tim Wood, said: “She was a free spirit who enjoyed her life and was a talented artist. She had lived in Scotland for about 10 years, a place she loved and which inspired her passion for art. Graves had just moved down from Scotland to be closer to her family, with whom she spent Christmas before she was found dead on 30 December.
“This has been devastating for the family and has come as a complete shock.” The killing led to one of the longest murder hunts in Sussex police history. Sabou was arrested in July this year in Romania and charged and extradited to the UK.
Her family described her as “an eternal student who was always hungry for a new challenge”. Graves’s son, Tim Wood, said: “She was a free spirit who enjoyed her life and was a talented artist. She had lived in Scotland for about 10 years, a place she loved and which inspired her passion for art. This has been devastating for the family and has come as a complete shock.”
Her family described the artist as “an eternal student who was always hungry for a new challenge”.