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Joanna Dennehy accomplices convicted of helping killer dispose of bodies Joanna Dennehy's two 'willing accomplices' found guilty
(about 7 hours later)
Two accomplices of the multiple killer Joanna Dennehy have been found guilty of helping her dispose of the bodies of her three murder victims. Two men "in the thrall" of triple-murderer Joanna Dennehy who were her "willing accomplices" have been convicted of offences related to her killing spree.
A jury decided that Gary Stretch and Leslie Layton were willing participants in Dennehy's killing spree, during which she stabbed three men to death. Their barristers had argued that they had acted under duress, fearing they too would be attacked if they did not help. Gary Stretch and Leslie Layton were "manipulated" by Dennehy, described as a "sadistic serial killer with a fearsome personality" who murdered warehouse worker Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, her landlord and boss Kevin Lee, 48, and her housemate John Chapman, 56, in and around Peterborough over a 10-day period.
After the hearing Detective Chief Inspector Martin Brunning, who led the investigation, said the case had been one of the largest and most complex investigations in his 20 years' experience. Dennehy, 31, one of the UK's most high-profile killers, had previously pleaded guilty to the murders as well as admitting the attempted murders of two dog-walkers, John Rogers and Robin Bereza, who were strangers to her, and preventing the lawful and decent burial of her victims.
"Joanna Dennehy is a sadistic serial killer with a fearsome personality. She manipulated these men into doing things she wanted. I am relieved she is facing a substantial period of time behind bars. Stretch, 47, was found guilty on Wednesday at Cambridge crown court of the attempted murder of Bereza, while Layton, 36, was convicted of preventing the lawful burial of two murder victims. Prosecutors said the men, who had already been found guilty of other offences relating to Dennehy's attacks, "revelled in bringing suffering and misery upon their victims and showed no remorse for their atrocious acts".
"Her accomplices not only fuelled her violence but also assisted her in these cruel crimes, by helping her dump their bodies." All three await sentencing along with Robert Moore, 55, from Peterborough, who previously admitted assisting an offender. DCI Martin Brunning, who led the investigation, said after the hearing: "Three men were brutally murdered in Peterborough and two men were stabbed in West Mercia. Today their killer and her willing accomplices have now been brought to justice.
Chris McCann of the CPS in the East of England, said: "Today's guilty verdicts prove that the two defendants were willing assistants in these murders and that they were not acting under duress, as they tried to claim. Both men willingly assisted Joanna Dennehy in disposing of the bodies of her three victims and in covering up the crimes she had committed. "Joanna Dennehy is a sadistic 'serial killer' with a fearsome personality. She manipulated these men into doing things she wanted. I am relieved she is facing a substantial period of time behind bars."
"They revelled in bringing suffering and misery upon their victims and showed no remorse for their atrocious acts. The fact that Leslie Layton photographed one of the deceased victims is testament to the warped nature of these crimes and those that committed them." Chris McCann, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Stretch, Layton and Moore were in the thrall of triple-murderer Joanna Dennehy. They revelled in bringing suffering and misery upon their victims and showed no remorse for their atrocious acts. The fact that Leslie Layton photographed one of the deceased victims is testament to the warped nature of these crimes and those that committed them."
The focus will now be back on Dennehy, 31, who is to be sentenced for the three murders and two attempted murders after unexpectedly pleading guilty to all five attacks. During the trial of her accomplices Dennehy, from Peterborough, was compared to a character in a Shakespearean tragedy in which an evil deed – her first killing – triggers a series of other violent crimes.
She will become one of the UK's most high-profile killers when her crimes are set out in detail for the first time at her sentencing hearing. She was said to have revelled in the violence and enjoyed the notoriety of being Britain's most wanted person. While on the run, she compared herself and Stretch to the US robbers Bonnie and Clyde.
During the trial of her accomplices, in Cambridge, she was compared to a character in a Shakespearean tragedy in which an evil deed – her first killing – triggers a series of other violent crimes. Raised in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, she was a bright and capable schoolgirl whose parents Kevin, a security guard, and Kathleen, a shop worker, hoped would go to university and become a lawyer. But she came off the rails, had two children in her teens and became estranged from her family. A long-term user of drugs and alcohol, who sometimes turned to prostitution to fund her habit, she drifted around East Anglia, served time in prison and received some treatment for mental-health problems. She has been diagnosed as suffering from paraphilia sadomasochism, a condition in which sexual excitement is derived from pain and humiliation.
Dennehy is said to have revelled in the violence and enjoyed the notoriety of being Britain's most wanted person. While on the run, she compared herself and Stretch to the US robbers Bonnie and Clyde . Prosecutors said she "cast a spell" over her accomplices and some of her victims as she killed "for fun".
A long-term user of drugs and alcohol, Dennehy has been diagnosed as suffering from paraphilia sadomasochism, a condition in which sexual excitement is derived from pain and humiliation. Shortly before his death, Lee likened her to "Uma Thurman from Kill Bill and the woman from the Terminator". Chapman, another victim, had called her the "man woman" because of her intimidating nature. All of the murder victims died from multiple stab injuries.
Dennehy, from Peterborough, has admitted the murders of the warehouse worker Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, her landlord and boss Kevin Lee, 48, and her housemate John Chapman, 56, over a 10-day period in March last year. Their bodies were all found in ditches in Cambridgeshire. After the Peterborough killings, Dennehy and Stretch drove 140 miles across the country to Hereford, where the diagnosed psychopath randomly selected and repeatedly stabbed dog-walkers Bereza and Rogers in the street. Both survived despite suffering critical injuries.
After the three killings, she and Stretch drove 140 miles across the country to Hereford, where she attempted to murder two strangers. On Monday, jurors at Cambridge crown court found Stretch guilty of three counts of preventing the lawful burial of a body and another count of attempted murder on Rogers in Hereford on 2 April.
Stretch, 47, from Peterborough, had denied three charges of preventing the lawful burial of the three murder victims and two counts of attempted murder; the latter charges relate to the attacks in Hereford. Layton was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Layton, 36, also from Peterborough, denied two counts of preventing the lawful burial of the bodies of Chapman and Lee, and perverting the course of justice. All four will be sentenced later. A statement on behalf of Lee's widow, Christina, and family said: "This tragedy has shaken our lives to the core and we are devastated about how Kevin's life came to an end." Chapman's family thanked Cambridgeshire police, "in particular DCI Martin Brunning and his team for their resolve, dedication and long hours of hard work in bringing this sad case to a close."
McCann said: "I hope the two victims and the families of Lukasz Slaboszewski, John Chapman and Kevin Lee can take some comfort from the fact that the perpetrators of these crimes have been brought to justice and will be punished for what they have done."
Brunning added, "The actions of Dennehy and those who helped her have had a devastating impact on the families of those killed and the surviving victims."
"Two of the victims will live with what Dennehy has done for the rest of their lives. I hope today's convictions will provide them, and their families, with some closure."