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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Man convicted of hammer murders | Man convicted of hammer murders |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A man who battered to death his former girlfriend and her two children with a hammer has been convicted of murdering them at the family's Manchester home. | A man who battered to death his former girlfriend and her two children with a hammer has been convicted of murdering them at the family's Manchester home. |
| Pierre Williams, 33, from Birmingham, had denied killing Beverley Samuels, 36, her daughter Kesha Wizzart, 18, and son Fred Wizzart, 13. | Pierre Williams, 33, from Birmingham, had denied killing Beverley Samuels, 36, her daughter Kesha Wizzart, 18, and son Fred Wizzart, 13. |
| He was also convicted of sex assaults on Mrs Samuels and her daughter. | He was also convicted of sex assaults on Mrs Samuels and her daughter. |
| Manchester Crown Court was told blood from each of his victims was found on a pair of his shorts. | Manchester Crown Court was told blood from each of his victims was found on a pair of his shorts. |
| Giving evidence, Williams had blamed "a hooded figure" for the attacks. | Giving evidence, Williams had blamed "a hooded figure" for the attacks. |
| Mrs Samuels, a nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, was sexually assaulted in July 2007 before being struck with at least seven blows to the head. | Mrs Samuels, a nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, was sexually assaulted in July 2007 before being struck with at least seven blows to the head. |
| Kesha had appeared on ITV's Young Stars In Their Eyes | Kesha had appeared on ITV's Young Stars In Their Eyes |
| Her daughter Kesha had her hands tied behind her back before she was killed in the same manner. | Her daughter Kesha had her hands tied behind her back before she was killed in the same manner. |
| Mrs Samuels' teenage son was found on the floor in the same bedroom as his mother. | Mrs Samuels' teenage son was found on the floor in the same bedroom as his mother. |
| The court was told that Williams, of Selly Oak, had a history of sexual violence against women. | The court was told that Williams, of Selly Oak, had a history of sexual violence against women. |
| One prosecution witness, a former girlfriend of Williams, told jurors that on one occasion he had throttled her until she passed out before raping her. | |
| On another occasion he forced his way into her home telling her he had a gun. | |
| "I did think he was going to kill me that night," she said. | |
| In court Kesha Wizzart was described as a hardworking teenager who intended to read law at university and wanted to be a barrister. | In court Kesha Wizzart was described as a hardworking teenager who intended to read law at university and wanted to be a barrister. |
| "Execution-style" killings | |
| In 2004 she appeared on ITV's Young Stars In Their Eyes singing Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart. | In 2004 she appeared on ITV's Young Stars In Their Eyes singing Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart. |
| Ray Wigglesworth QC, for the prosecution, described the killings as "execution-style" to satisfy a perverted sexual pleasure. | Ray Wigglesworth QC, for the prosecution, described the killings as "execution-style" to satisfy a perverted sexual pleasure. |
| Just hours before the murders, Williams was seen socialising with two female friends in Manchester and described as "his usual cheery self". | |
| The court was told he met Mrs Samuels in the summer of 2005 - a year after she broke up with the father of her children's father. | |
| Williams' year-long relationship with her was described by the prosecution as disjointed and intermittent. | |
| The jury of seven men and five women took just over four hours to find Williams guilty of the murders and sexual assaults. | |
| However, when the first verdict was read out he scuffled with guards in the dock and had to be restrained by three officers. | |
| He was taken to the cells shouting "I'm innocent." |