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| Care worker is jailed for murder | Care worker is jailed for murder |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A care worker who murdered a disabled man for his £70,000 inheritance fund has been told she will spend at least 30 years in jail. | A care worker who murdered a disabled man for his £70,000 inheritance fund has been told she will spend at least 30 years in jail. |
| Thelma Purchase, 44, was found guilty earlier this month of the murder of Greg Baker who was found dead at his cottage in Alton, Staffs, in June 2007. | Thelma Purchase, 44, was found guilty earlier this month of the murder of Greg Baker who was found dead at his cottage in Alton, Staffs, in June 2007. |
| Her son Lance Rudge, 20, and his friend Shane Edge, 21, were also convicted of the murder at Stafford Crown Court. | Her son Lance Rudge, 20, and his friend Shane Edge, 21, were also convicted of the murder at Stafford Crown Court. |
| They were told they would serve minimum terms of 18 years and 20 years. | They were told they would serve minimum terms of 18 years and 20 years. |
| Passing the sentences, Mr Justice Saunders said it had been a "truly horrible crime". | |
| Mr Baker, 61, who was left disabled by childhood polio and also suffered from muscular dystrophy, was found suffocated during a routine care visit on 16 June 2007. | Mr Baker, 61, who was left disabled by childhood polio and also suffered from muscular dystrophy, was found suffocated during a routine care visit on 16 June 2007. |
| 'Truly horrible crime' | |
| The five week-trial heard how mother-of-three Purchase had promised to pay both her son, who lived with his mother in Sherwood Road, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, and his friend £8,000 each if they helped her carry out the murder. | |
| The case heard how Edge, of Clivedon Place, Longton, used a pillow to smother the victim in Mr Baker's bedroom after entering his home, which was often unlocked. | The case heard how Edge, of Clivedon Place, Longton, used a pillow to smother the victim in Mr Baker's bedroom after entering his home, which was often unlocked. |
| Greg Baker's body was found on a routine visit | |
| Police officers described the murder as a "cowardly, callous contract-style killing motivated purely by greed". | Police officers described the murder as a "cowardly, callous contract-style killing motivated purely by greed". |
| Mr Justice Saunders told the three defendants they had murdered a "generous, intelligent and well-loved man". | |
| He added that Purchase would have known that Mr Baker was unable to defend himself and left his door unlocked at night. | |
| The judge said: "I have to sentence you for a truly horrible crime. | |
| "A disabled man aged 61 was murdered in his own bed... in his own home with his own pillow." | |
| All three defendants denied playing any part in the killing despite mobile phone evidence linking Purchase to the Alton area and testimony that the male defendants had talked about suffocating a man to trigger a payment from a will. | |
| Det Ch Insp Ken Raper, who led the inquiry, said it had been a "cowardly, callous contract-style killing motivated purely by greed". |