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| Judith Richardson killing: Graeme Jarman jailed for life | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A man who bludgeoned a 77-year-old to death after tricking his way into her home has been jailed for life. | |
| Graeme Jarman, 48, from Consett, County Durham, had denied murdering Judith Richardson in her flat in Hexham, Northumberland in August 2011. | Graeme Jarman, 48, from Consett, County Durham, had denied murdering Judith Richardson in her flat in Hexham, Northumberland in August 2011. |
| Miss Richardson was hit repeatedly with a hammer and lay dying as her home was ransacked, Newcastle Crown Court heard. | Miss Richardson was hit repeatedly with a hammer and lay dying as her home was ransacked, Newcastle Crown Court heard. |
| Jarman, who has a string of previous serious convictions, was sentenced to a minimum term of 35 years. | |
| The former civil servant was arrested in Filey, North Yorkshire following a fortnight-long manhunt. | |
| He tricked Miss Richardson into opening her front door by showing her Age UK charity leaflets and immediately began battering her. | |
| Jarman, who was sleeping rough at the time, admitted stealing her handbag, but said he did not kill her. | |
| 'Potential victims' | |
| During the trial the jury was shown CCTV of the defendant wandering round Hexham, which appeared to show him talking to elderly residents. | During the trial the jury was shown CCTV of the defendant wandering round Hexham, which appeared to show him talking to elderly residents. |
| The prosecution claimed he was "observing potential victims". | The prosecution claimed he was "observing potential victims". |
| The jury heard Miss Richardson was hit more than 30 times with a hammer and, after stealing her handbag and jewellery, Jarman repeatedly struck her again, fracturing her skull. | The jury heard Miss Richardson was hit more than 30 times with a hammer and, after stealing her handbag and jewellery, Jarman repeatedly struck her again, fracturing her skull. |
| He then fled, taking buses to different towns where he bought clothes and shaved his head. | |
| He arrived in Newcastle and threw her handbag in a bin before selling her jewellery for £300 at scrap value. | |
| A member of the public found her bag, alerted police and officers responding to a simple lost property case discovered her body. | |
| Jarman was found guilty by an 11 to one majority. |