This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/sussex/8339806.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Wife convicted of Gambia murder | Wife convicted of Gambia murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 28-year-old Nigerian woman has been found guilty of murdering her 76-year-old husband by a court in The Gambia. | A 28-year-old Nigerian woman has been found guilty of murdering her 76-year-old husband by a court in The Gambia. |
| The body of William West, of Hastings, East Sussex, was found near his holiday home in the country in July 2006 after he was reported missing by his wife. | The body of William West, of Hastings, East Sussex, was found near his holiday home in the country in July 2006 after he was reported missing by his wife. |
| His charred remains were discovered hidden in a sack. | His charred remains were discovered hidden in a sack. |
| Kate West, who had claimed the retired businessman had disappeared in Senegal, was given a life term and told she would be spared the death penalty. | Kate West, who had claimed the retired businessman had disappeared in Senegal, was given a life term and told she would be spared the death penalty. |
| Gambian Police Force spokesman Sulayman Secka said she would be transferred to the state Central Prison in Banjul for the killing of Dublin-born Mr West, who lived in St Helen's Park Road, Hastings, East Sussex. | |
| Remote home | Remote home |
| West had admitted his murder at previous court hearings in The Gambia, but later denied the charge. | West had admitted his murder at previous court hearings in The Gambia, but later denied the charge. |
| The couple had been staying at their remote holiday home in the West African country at the time of his death. | The couple had been staying at their remote holiday home in the West African country at the time of his death. |
| West, who was a mature student, had claimed he went missing during a daytrip to Senegal on 3 July, 2006. | |
| She said he simply vanished while she waited outside a convenience store while he bought cigars, so she returned firstly to their Gambian home and then to the UK to look for him. | |
| This has been a protracted and traumatic time for Mr West's family Family solicitor | |
| Mr West was registered as missing when his wife returned to The Gambia, and the authorities later alerted Sussex Police. | |
| West initially told police that five Nigerian men had taken the 76-year-old from their luxury property in Sanyang and killed him. | |
| Officers from Sussex Police travelled to The Gambia to help the investigation. | |
| An inquest into Mr West's death in Hastings in May 2007 heard his wife later confessed to murdering him with a wooden pestle before setting his body alight. | |
| The coroner recorded an unlawful killing verdict. | |
| Police 'diligence' | |
| A statement from the solicitor representing Mr West's brother Albert said: "This has been a protracted and traumatic time for Mr West's family. | |
| "They are pleased that justice has now been done and that Kate West has been brought to account for her crime. | |
| "The family of Mr West have asked me to thank Sussex Police for their skill and diligence in bringing this matter to the attention of the Gambian authorities. | |
| "The family hope that they will now be able to move on with their lives." |