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Colonel Riley Workman murder: Former gamekeeper guilty Colonel Riley Workman murder: Former gamekeeper guilty
(35 minutes later)
A former gamekeeper has been found guilty of the murder of a retired colonel in Hertfordshire.A former gamekeeper has been found guilty of the murder of a retired colonel in Hertfordshire.
Christopher Docherty-Puncheon denied shooting Lt Col Robert "Riley" Workman at his Furneux Pelham home in 2004 but was convicted by a majority verdict.Christopher Docherty-Puncheon denied shooting Lt Col Robert "Riley" Workman at his Furneux Pelham home in 2004 but was convicted by a majority verdict.
The five-week trial at St Albans Crown Court heard the 33-year-old confessed to the killing to cell mates while on remand for another murder.The five-week trial at St Albans Crown Court heard the 33-year-old confessed to the killing to cell mates while on remand for another murder.
He must serve a minimum of a further 32 years in prison.He must serve a minimum of a further 32 years in prison.
Prosecutors said he had also claimed to have had an affair with Lt Col Workman. Point blank range
During the trial, jurors heard Lt Col Workman had died from a single blast to his body from a sawn-off shotgun which has never been found. Prosecutors said Docherty-Puncheon had described himself to two other cell mates as a "modern-day hitman" who killed people for money and had had an affair with Lt Col Workman.
The prosecution said Docherty-Puncheon, from Stocking Pelham, who was 24 at the time and known as Christopher Nudds, admitted murdering Lt Col Workman to cell mates while being held on remand in connection with the disappearance of Fred Moss. The 83-year-old, who served in World War II, was in his pyjamas and drinking whisky alone in his cottage on the night of his death.
'Midsomer Murders' It is believed he answered the door in the evening - at a time when gunfire was heard by neighbours - and was shot at point blank range on his doorstep.
He was later convicted and jailed for life for the killing of Mr Moss, but denied confessing to Lt Col Workman's murder. Prosecutor Richard Latham QC said the weeks and months that followed the killing were like something out of ITV drama Midsomer Murders.
At the start of the trial, when Docherty-Puncheon pleaded not guilty to murdering the Lt Col, the jury of six men and six women were told by prosecutor Richard Latham QC that the case was a "whodunnit". Docherty-Puncheon, then aged 24 and called Christopher Nudds, had worked for Lt Col Workman as a pest controller and was questioned by police within hours of the killing.
Docherty-Puncheon himself, while giving evidence, told how the weeks and months that followed the killing were like something out of the ITV drama Midsomer Murders. With no evidence, he was released without charge.
Lt Col Workman, who was a widower, was shot dead on the night of 7 January 2004 after answering the door of his cottage. Cell confession
He was found by his carer the following morning. His motive for shooting Lt Col Workman remains unclear, although the jury heard it was believed the war veteran knew Docherty-Puncheon's friend Fred Moss was involved in drugs.
Within hours of the murder, detectives were questioning Docherty-Puncheon, who at the time was a pest controller and rat catcher earning £4,000 a month and living with his mother and stepfather in the village of Stocking Pelham, a mile-and-a-half from Furneux Pelham. Months after the Lt Col's death, Mr Moss was shot dead and Docherty-Puncheon charged with murdering the 21-year-old traveller.
He had previously carried out work at the colonel's home to clear a wasps' nest, but denied any involvement in the shooting. He was on remand late in 2004 when, the court heard, he confessed to killing Lt Col Workman.
Body never found In 2006 he was jailed for life for Mr Moss's murder.
A ballistics expert was able to identify that the weapon used to kill Lt Col Workman was a sawn-off shotgun, but it has never been recovered. But it was not until a second cell mate came forward in December 2007 to reveal details of another confession that the investigation was reviewed, jurors heard.
With no evidence, police released him without charge. Docherty-Puncheon was charged in July 2010.
He went on to murder 21-year-old traveller Fred Moss, who was last seen in November 2004. 'Village in fear'
He was shot dead during a heroin deal, with his body, believed to have been burned, never found. Sentencing Docherty-Puncheon, Justice John Saunders said Lt Col Workman had been in poor health and "had neither the capacity nor the opportunity to defend himself".
Docherty-Puncheon first admitted Lt Col Workman's murder after being arrested and held on remand, in Bedford Prison at the end of 2004, in connection with the disappearance of Mr Moss, jurors were told. "It was a terrible crime and people living in that rural community were shocked by the gunning down in cold blood of one of their elderly neighbours," he added.
But it was not until a second cell mate came forward in December 2007 to reveal details of another confession that the investigation was reviewed and Docherty-Puncheon was eventually charged in July 2010. "Such an event is bound to create feelings of fear among residents which can continue for a long time."
Det Supt Bill Jephson praised Lt Col Workman's family after their traumatic ordeal which has seen them wait more than eight years for a conviction. He said the two murders were connected but said none of the reasons for Lt Col Workman's murder had "been proved to my satisfaction".
Det Supt Bill Jephson praised Lt Col Workman's family after their traumatic ordeal, which has seen them wait more than eight years for a conviction.
"We pledged we would never give up in this case and they've shown incredible strength, support and resilience throughout," he said."We pledged we would never give up in this case and they've shown incredible strength, support and resilience throughout," he said.
A statement issued by Lt Col Workman's family in Australia said: "Riley was a loving and loyal man who is remembered fondly by all his family and friends.
"Since his murder, we have struggled to come to terms with how someone could so brutally kill another human being, particularly a defenceless 83-year-old who was so frail and desolate at the loss of his beloved wife."