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| Lindsay Birbeck: Teenager guilty of murdering teaching assistant | Lindsay Birbeck: Teenager guilty of murdering teaching assistant |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 17-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering a teaching assistant whose body was found in a shallow grave. | A 17-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering a teaching assistant whose body was found in a shallow grave. |
| Lindsay Birbeck, 47, went missing on 12 August 2019 while walking in a wooded area and was later found buried in Accrington Cemetery, Lancashire. | Lindsay Birbeck, 47, went missing on 12 August 2019 while walking in a wooded area and was later found buried in Accrington Cemetery, Lancashire. |
| Preston Crown Court heard her attacker had been prowling the woods for lone females. | |
| The boy admitted moving her body in a wheelie bin and claimed he buried her for a stranger who promised him money. | The boy admitted moving her body in a wheelie bin and claimed he buried her for a stranger who promised him money. |
| The verdict came a year to the day since Mrs Birbeck went missing. | The verdict came a year to the day since Mrs Birbeck went missing. |
| Mrs Birbeck's 17-year-old daughter Sarah raised the alarm when her mother did not return from her afternoon walk to have tea at 18:00 BST. | Mrs Birbeck's 17-year-old daughter Sarah raised the alarm when her mother did not return from her afternoon walk to have tea at 18:00 BST. |
| 'Implausible fiction' | 'Implausible fiction' |
| The mother-of-two had left her home in Burnley Road, Accrington, to stroll in a nearby wooded area known as the Coppice. | The mother-of-two had left her home in Burnley Road, Accrington, to stroll in a nearby wooded area known as the Coppice. |
| Her attacker, who was 16 at the time, is thought to have killed Mrs Birbeck shortly after she entered the Coppice. | Her attacker, who was 16 at the time, is thought to have killed Mrs Birbeck shortly after she entered the Coppice. |
| He attended a police station several days after her naked body was discovered wrapped in two plastic bags following a police CCTV appeal. | He attended a police station several days after her naked body was discovered wrapped in two plastic bags following a police CCTV appeal. |
| The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, denied murder and manslaughter. | The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, denied murder and manslaughter. |
| But he admitted dragging a bin, with Mrs Birbeck inside, from the Coppice across Burnley Road to the cemetery where he buried her. | But he admitted dragging a bin, with Mrs Birbeck inside, from the Coppice across Burnley Road to the cemetery where he buried her. |
| In court: Mike Stevens, BBC News | In court: Mike Stevens, BBC News |
| Police trawled through around 3,000 hours of CCTV footage and found a young man who was seen repeatedly pulling a blue wheelie bin in and around Huncoat. | Police trawled through around 3,000 hours of CCTV footage and found a young man who was seen repeatedly pulling a blue wheelie bin in and around Huncoat. |
| A similar-looking bin was found in Accrington Cemetery some days earlier. | A similar-looking bin was found in Accrington Cemetery some days earlier. |
| After sharing the footage in a public appeal, the 16-year-old boy arrived at a police station in Blackburn with his family. | After sharing the footage in a public appeal, the 16-year-old boy arrived at a police station in Blackburn with his family. |
| Home Office pathologist Dr Naomi Carter said the injuries Mrs Birbeck sustained were the most severe of their kind which she had seen in her 25-year career. | Home Office pathologist Dr Naomi Carter said the injuries Mrs Birbeck sustained were the most severe of their kind which she had seen in her 25-year career. |
| He claimed a man had approached him with the promise of a large cash reward if he disposed of the body. | He claimed a man had approached him with the promise of a large cash reward if he disposed of the body. |
| He stated: "I have not met this man before. I have not met him since, nor have I had any contact with him. | He stated: "I have not met this man before. I have not met him since, nor have I had any contact with him. |
| "He has not paid me any money. He told me that he would leave the money for me near where the body had been at first once everything was clear." | "He has not paid me any money. He told me that he would leave the money for me near where the body had been at first once everything was clear." |
| The prosecution said the defendant's account was "implausible fiction". | The prosecution said the defendant's account was "implausible fiction". |
| The court heard another woman said a lone male wearing a grey tracksuit with his hood up had followed her on her walk shortly before Mrs Birbeck entered the Coppice. | The court heard another woman said a lone male wearing a grey tracksuit with his hood up had followed her on her walk shortly before Mrs Birbeck entered the Coppice. |
| She said she feared for her safety and he was getting closer when she startled him by glancing back. | She said she feared for her safety and he was getting closer when she startled him by glancing back. |
| 'Evil, cowardly behaviour' | 'Evil, cowardly behaviour' |
| A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of Mrs Birbeck's death was neck injuries. No evidence of a sexual assault could be found. | A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of Mrs Birbeck's death was neck injuries. No evidence of a sexual assault could be found. |
| An attempt had also been made to cut off a leg, possibly with a saw. | An attempt had also been made to cut off a leg, possibly with a saw. |
| Outside court, Mrs Birbeck's daughter said: "Our lives have been utterly destroyed by the evil, cowardly behaviour of the defendant and the horrific manner in which she was murdered. | Outside court, Mrs Birbeck's daughter said: "Our lives have been utterly destroyed by the evil, cowardly behaviour of the defendant and the horrific manner in which she was murdered. |
| "My mum went for a walk on a sunny afternoon in August and never came home, it's unthinkable that something as brutal as this could happen in our close community to someone that was loved so very dearly." | "My mum went for a walk on a sunny afternoon in August and never came home, it's unthinkable that something as brutal as this could happen in our close community to someone that was loved so very dearly." |
| The teenager is due to be sentenced on Friday. | The teenager is due to be sentenced on Friday. |
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