Spalding double murder was '˜one of the most distressing and disturbing'

'˜This is one of the most distressing and disturbing cases that I have ever encountered.'
Floral tributes left outside the house on Dawson Avenue in Spalding where mother and daughter Liz and Katie Edwards were found killed murdered by two 14-year-olds.Floral tributes left outside the house on Dawson Avenue in Spalding where mother and daughter Liz and Katie Edwards were found killed murdered by two 14-year-olds.
Floral tributes left outside the house on Dawson Avenue in Spalding where mother and daughter Liz and Katie Edwards were found killed murdered by two 14-year-olds.

Those were the words this afternoon of deputy chief crown prosecutor at CPS East Midlands Karen Thompson, after a teenage girl and her boyfriend were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of a woman and her daughter in Spalding.

After the two 15-year-olds were convicted for the murders of Liz (49) and Katie (13) Edwards, she added: “The CPS has from the outset been confident that the appropriate charge for both defendants was one of murder.

“We were not willing to accept any lesser charge based on the defendants’ mental health difficulties, so the case was rightly taken to trial.

“The male defendant accepted his guilt on the first day of trial. The other defendant maintained her not guilty plea but, after the jury heard all the medical evidence presented, they concluded that any difficulties that she may have had did not prevent her forming an intent to kill. She was therefore convicted of the murder of both victims.

“Our deepest sympathies are now with the extended family and friends of Elizabeth and Katie Edwards as they attempt to come to terms with this horrific crime.”

Investigating Officer DCI Martin Holvey said:”This has been a rare and unprecedented case and everybody who has listened to the details as they have emerged throughout the trial will, I am sure, have felt the same sense of shock and disbelief.

“The planning that went into the brutal murders of Elizabeth and Katie as they slept in their beds was cold, ruthless and chilling, as was the lack of remorse shown by the two juveniles afterwards.

“This matter-of-factness is all the more shocking given the fact that they were both only 14 years of age at the time. I hope after today’s sentence, everyone affected by this terrible crime can begin to rebuild their lives and the community of Spalding can move forward.”

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