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Triple killer Theodore Johnson jailed for 26 years Triple killer Theodore Johnson jailed for 26 years
(about 1 hour later)
A man who killed three former partners has been jailed for a minimum of 26 years.A man who killed three former partners has been jailed for a minimum of 26 years.
Theodore Johnson, 64, beat and throttled ex-girlfriend Angela Best after she met another man.Theodore Johnson, 64, beat and throttled ex-girlfriend Angela Best after she met another man.
He already had two manslaughter convictions. He pushed his wife off a ninth-floor balcony in 1981 and strangled a former partner in 1993.He already had two manslaughter convictions. He pushed his wife off a ninth-floor balcony in 1981 and strangled a former partner in 1993.
Johnson met Ms Best while on unescorted leave from a secure mental hospital.Johnson met Ms Best while on unescorted leave from a secure mental hospital.
He beat her with a claw hammer and strangled her with her dressing gown cord at his north London home on 15 December 2016.He beat her with a claw hammer and strangled her with her dressing gown cord at his north London home on 15 December 2016.
Their relationship had recently ended after she met someone else.Their relationship had recently ended after she met someone else.
Sentencing, Judge Richard Marks QC said: "The attack by you on Angela Best was sustained, vicious and utterly brutal. She suffered an unimaginably terrible death."Sentencing, Judge Richard Marks QC said: "The attack by you on Angela Best was sustained, vicious and utterly brutal. She suffered an unimaginably terrible death."
"Such repeated offending, resulting in three separate court cases, must be almost unprecedented," he added."Such repeated offending, resulting in three separate court cases, must be almost unprecedented," he added.
Hours after attacking Ms Best, 51, the garage worker threw himself in front of an express train.Hours after attacking Ms Best, 51, the garage worker threw himself in front of an express train.
He survived but lost his right arm and left hand.He survived but lost his right arm and left hand.
Police only discovered Ms Best's body when they called at Johnson's flat in Islington to find his next of kin after the incident at Cheshunt railway station, in Hertfordshire.Police only discovered Ms Best's body when they called at Johnson's flat in Islington to find his next of kin after the incident at Cheshunt railway station, in Hertfordshire.
In mitigation for Johnson, Annette Henry QC said: "He does not wish to be alive. He hates himself for what happened."In mitigation for Johnson, Annette Henry QC said: "He does not wish to be alive. He hates himself for what happened."
The killer, who now uses a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to murdering the mother-of-four and grandmother on the first day of his trial on Tuesday.The killer, who now uses a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to murdering the mother-of-four and grandmother on the first day of his trial on Tuesday.
Secret relationship Did the authorities know about Johnson and Best's relationship?
Johnson, who suffered from a personality disorder and depression, was on unescorted leave from a secure mental hospital when he met Ms Best. Johnson had a personality disorder and depression, and was sent to a secure mental hospital after his second conviction.
Johnson successfully applied for a conditional discharge from the hospital in October 1997.Johnson successfully applied for a conditional discharge from the hospital in October 1997.
He was released on the condition he would tell doctors and social workers about any new relationships with women.He was released on the condition he would tell doctors and social workers about any new relationships with women.
However, he kept his relationship with Ms Best a secret, the Old Bailey heard. However, he kept his relationship with Ms Best a secret.
She only found out he had killed a previous partner when she discovered letters and confronted him, the court heard. Records from medical social supervisors show four occasions in the 10 years before the murder when Johnson denied having any relationships with women since leaving hospital in 1997, the court heard.
Ms Henry said the "self-reporting" aspect of the mental health tribunal's restriction on Johnson was flawed. What were Johnson's first two convictions?
Johnson was last seen by a social worker and psychiatrist days before the murder. In 1981, Johnson was jailed for three years after killing his wife, Yvonne Johnson.
He was not found to be depressed and continued to deny being in a relationship. He hit her over the head with a vase during a row before pushing her off the balcony of their home in a Wolverhampton tower block.
The argument started when Mrs Johnson would not let her husband go to church because he was "not dressed well enough", it was reported at the time.
He was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter by provocation.
The judge described Johnson as a "battered husband" who had suffered violence at the hands of his wife.
In 1993, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, on the grounds of diminished responsibility, after attacking former partner Yvonne Bennett.
He had met her in Wolverhampton after his release from prison for killing Mrs Johnson.
They moved to north London and had a daughter together, but separated after Ms Bennett had an affair.
She had sought police help to get him to leave their Finsbury Park home in the days before her death.
He strangled her with a belt as their two-year-old daughter slept.
Johnson phoned police to confess, tried to hang himself from a tree and then gave himself up, prosecutors said at the time.
He was sent to a secure hospital indefinitely but released four years later.