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| Man convicted of doorstep murder | Man convicted of doorstep murder |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A 54-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a woman who was beaten to death outside her Bedfordshire home. | A 54-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a woman who was beaten to death outside her Bedfordshire home. |
| Dolly Cheval, 84, died in hospital after being attacked at Merlin Court, Leighton Buzzard, in July 2006. | Dolly Cheval, 84, died in hospital after being attacked at Merlin Court, Leighton Buzzard, in July 2006. |
| Stephen Shird, a former pub landlord, had denied murdering Mrs Cheval but was convicted following a trial at Luton Crown Court. | Stephen Shird, a former pub landlord, had denied murdering Mrs Cheval but was convicted following a trial at Luton Crown Court. |
| Shird, who was Mrs Cheval's neighbour, was jailed for life. He must serve a minimum term of 18 years. | Shird, who was Mrs Cheval's neighbour, was jailed for life. He must serve a minimum term of 18 years. |
| Jobless Shird attacked Mrs Cheval when he was desperate for money to buy drink, jurors heard. | |
| Mrs Cheval, who died from multiple blunt impact injuries, suffered bruising to the temple, face, neck, ear and black eyes. | |
| The court was told Shird was an alcoholic with only 16p in his bank account on the day Mrs Cheval died. | |
| Former tea lady | |
| The court heard Mrs Cheval had complained to police in May that had stolen from her - a claim he denied. | |
| Six days later he was interviewed about an alleged benefit fraud and he believed Mrs Cheval had informed on him. | |
| The prosecution said this led to the defendant attacking the victim - but Shird claimed he was a Good Samaritan who came across Mrs Cheval when she was already injured and raised the alarm. | |
| But the jury rejected his version of events and convicted him of murder. | |
| Mrs Cheval, a widow and a former tea lady at Waterloo station in London, lived in a warden-controlled flat at Merlin Court, Beaudesert, Leighton Buzzard. | |
| Shird had lived in a third floor flat at Merlin Court for about five months before later living at Matthew Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire. |