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Pair get life for towpath killing Pair get life for towpath killing
(10 minutes later)
A woman and her ex-lover found guilty of murdering her former husband have been sentenced to life in prison. A woman and her ex-lover have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her former husband on a canal towpath in Nottinghamshire.
Simon Luffman, 39, was shot on a canal towpath in Nottinghamshire in 2003. Simon Luffman, 39, was shot dead by a hitman hired by the couple in 2003.
Yvette Luffman, of Revesby Way, Boston, Lincolnshire, and ex-boyfriend Wayne Briscoe, of Harewood Avenue, Bulwell, Nottingham, both 40, had denied murder.Yvette Luffman, of Revesby Way, Boston, Lincolnshire, and ex-boyfriend Wayne Briscoe, of Harewood Avenue, Bulwell, Nottingham, both 40, had denied murder.
They were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday. The pair were told they would serve a minimum of 20 years in jail. A judge at Birmingham Crown Court said they would serve a minimum of 20 years in jail.
The court heard that the pair used money from Luffman's divorce settlement to pay for her ex-husband's execution.The court heard that the pair used money from Luffman's divorce settlement to pay for her ex-husband's execution.
You murdered a man who had been your husband and who was the father of your son Mr Justice Teare
They agreed to pay doorman Thomas Convery £30,000 for the murder.They agreed to pay doorman Thomas Convery £30,000 for the murder.
He shot Mr Luffman twice in the back and twice in the head on a disused canal towpath in Bramcote in October 2003. He shot Mr Luffman twice in the back and twice in the head on the disused towpath at Bramcote in October 2003.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Teare, said: "This is a murder that was planned and deliberate. In addition the murder was carried out, as you both knew it would be, by a shotgun.
'Encouraged killing'
"In your case, Yvette Luffman, you murdered a man who had been your husband and who was the father of your son.
"The only mitigating factor was that none of you were involved in violence before but this would not have counted for much."
The judge added that "any contract killing involves planning" but the amount of planning in this case was "substantial".
"You agreed to pay £30,000 for the killing, you encouraged the killing by pressuring Convery to do it," he said.
Mr Luffman was murdered on a canal towpath in October 2003Mr Luffman was murdered on a canal towpath in October 2003
Convery, 34, was convicted of the murder in 2004.Convery, 34, was convicted of the murder in 2004.
Mrs Luffman used £1,000, paid to her by her ex-husband in their divorce agreement, as a down payment for the murder.Mrs Luffman used £1,000, paid to her by her ex-husband in their divorce agreement, as a down payment for the murder.
The £1,000 was part of a £4,000 settlement agreed by the couple following the collapse of their marriage the previous year.The £1,000 was part of a £4,000 settlement agreed by the couple following the collapse of their marriage the previous year.
During the trial, prosecutor Gregory Dickinson QC told the jury one of the "unhappy ironies" of the case was that Mr Luffman unwittingly paid towards his own murder.During the trial, prosecutor Gregory Dickinson QC told the jury one of the "unhappy ironies" of the case was that Mr Luffman unwittingly paid towards his own murder.
Giving evidence in that hearing, Convery said Luffman and Briscoe approached him with the idea of killing his victim when he was on duty as a bouncer at Chambers Bar in Nottingham.Giving evidence in that hearing, Convery said Luffman and Briscoe approached him with the idea of killing his victim when he was on duty as a bouncer at Chambers Bar in Nottingham.
Cold-blooded crimeCold-blooded crime
He told the court that Mr Luffman sat in the bar having a drink when his ex-wife pointed him out through the window and asked Convery how much it would cost to have him killed.He told the court that Mr Luffman sat in the bar having a drink when his ex-wife pointed him out through the window and asked Convery how much it would cost to have him killed.
Senior prosecutor Dona Parry-Jones said: "They (Luffman and Briscoe) approached Thomas Convery, provided him with the gun, gave him instructions, and paid for him to commit the execution.Senior prosecutor Dona Parry-Jones said: "They (Luffman and Briscoe) approached Thomas Convery, provided him with the gun, gave him instructions, and paid for him to commit the execution.
"They share as much blame for Mr Luffman's murder as Thomas Convery, who pulled the trigger."They share as much blame for Mr Luffman's murder as Thomas Convery, who pulled the trigger.
"The killing of Mr Luffman was a calculated, callous and cold-blooded crime," she said."The killing of Mr Luffman was a calculated, callous and cold-blooded crime," she said.