Pair jailed for wife murder plot

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7155820.stm

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A transport manager who enlisted a workmate to help him kill his wife has been jailed for 22 years.

Malcolm Anderson, 55, of Kirton, offered John Height £20,000 to assist him murder Anita Anderson, 52, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

Anderson stabbed his wife of 32 years after beating her with a saucepan. He was jailed after admitting murder.

Height, 38, of Whittlesey, Cambs, was jailed for 24 years after being convicted of murder.

Mrs Anderson's body was dumped in the River Welland near Crowland, Lincs.

This was a truly terrible crime Judge Michael Stokes

The court was told Anderson, who worked for Norfolkline in Whittlesey, had hatched the plan over four weeks with Height, who had a truck repair business on the same site.

He planned to pay Height £20,000, which was money he had raised from selling land in Spain.

Anderson, who had begun an affair with a younger colleague, attacked his wife with the saucepan and took her to a lay-by where he met Height on 8 December 2006.

Her body was dumped in Height's van but she regained consciousness. He called Anderson back and ordered him to finish the killing.

Anderson then stabbed his wife seven times before they dumped her body in the river.

During sentencing Judge Michael Stokes said the killing was carried out in an "utterly heartless and cruel manner".

Height had claimed he had only been asked to lend Anderson his van and was unaware of the murder during the trial.