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| Nikitta Grender: Carl Whant jailed for 35 years for murdering pregnant teenager | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A former nightclub bouncer has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering a pregnant teenager two weeks before she was due to give birth. | |
| Carl Whant, 27, of Bettws, Newport, raped and stabbed 19-year-old Nikitta Grender at her home, killing her unborn daughter at the same time. | Carl Whant, 27, of Bettws, Newport, raped and stabbed 19-year-old Nikitta Grender at her home, killing her unborn daughter at the same time. |
| He set fire to her flat before returning to a party where he had been all night with her boyfriend. | He set fire to her flat before returning to a party where he had been all night with her boyfriend. |
| Whant was convicted of murder, rape, child destruction and arson. | Whant was convicted of murder, rape, child destruction and arson. |
| Sobs and some whispers of "yes" were heard in Newport Crown Court as the jury announced it had found him guilty after a trial lasting more than a month. | |
| Whant remained motionless in the dock. | Whant remained motionless in the dock. |
| Ryan Mayes, who was Ms Grender's boyfriend and the father of her unborn baby - and Whant's close friend and second cousin - looked shocked and moved by the verdict. | |
| Mr Mayes looked at Whant and shook his head gently at each verdict. | |
| As he sentenced Whant to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years, Judge Mr Justice Griffith Williams warned the public to remain calm. | |
| The judge told Whant that the family's grief was more deep because he had alleged that she had consented to have sex with him. | |
| 'Preposterous claim' | |
| He called Whant "calculating and devious" and said he had left the party because "you fancied Nikitta and wanted to have sex with her". | |
| He said that because he knew that she would not agree, "you went armed with a knife, prepared to rape her. | |
| "The likelihood is that she let you in, believing that Ryan was with you." | |
| His mother looked at him and turned her view away, staring straight into courtroom, while his aunt was in tears. | |
| Whant's trial heard that Ms Grender's badly-burned body was discovered at the flat in Broadmead Park, Lliswerry, Newport, on 5 February 2011 after firefighters were called. | |
| A post-mortem examination found her throat had been slashed and her stomach stabbed. She had died before the fire started. | A post-mortem examination found her throat had been slashed and her stomach stabbed. She had died before the fire started. |
| Whant was arrested four days later. | |
| DNA tests confirmed he had had sex with Ms Grender, and scratches were found on his wrists. | DNA tests confirmed he had had sex with Ms Grender, and scratches were found on his wrists. |
| Whant had initially denied any contact with Ms Grender. But he later changed his story and claimed he had had consensual sex with her the night she was killed after an invitation by Mr Mayes. | |
| He said he had only initially denied having sex with her because he did not want to upset his girlfriend. | |
| When giving evidence, Mr Mayes described this claim as "preposterous". | When giving evidence, Mr Mayes described this claim as "preposterous". |
| Whant was caught on CCTV by three separate cameras driving his car from the party he had been to near Ms Grender's flat. | |
| Blood on a shirt and in his car was also identified as Ms Grender's. | Blood on a shirt and in his car was also identified as Ms Grender's. |