03.44
Antonio
Carl Whant had denied raping and murdering Nikitta Grender before setting fire to her flat
A former nightclub bouncer has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years for murdering a pregnant teenager two weeks before she was due to give birth.
Carl Whant, 27, of Bettws, Newport, raped and stabbed 19-year-old Nikitta Grender at her home, killing her unborn daughter at the same time.
He set fire to her flat before returning to a party where he had been all night with her boyfriend.
Whant was convicted of murder, rape, child destruction and arson.
Sobs and some whispers of yes were heard in Newport Crown Court as the jury announced it had found him guilty.
Whant remained motionless in the dock.
Nikitta Grender was known to dislike Whant, whom she thought was a bad influence on her boyfriend
His mother looked at him and turned her view away, staring straight into courtroom, while his aunt was in tears.
Ryan Mayes, who was Ms Grender's boyfriend and the father of her unborn baby - and Whant's close friend and second cousin - looked shocked and moved by the verdict.
Whant's trial heard that Ms Grender's badly-burned body was discovered at the flat in Broadmead Park, Lliswerry, Newport, on 5 February 2011 after firefighters were called.
A post-mortem examination found her throat had been slashed and her stomach stabbed. She had died before the fire started.
Whant was arrested four days later.
DNA tests confirmed he had had sex with Ms Grender, and scratches were found on his wrists.
Whant had initially denied any contact with Ms Grender but later changed his story and claimed he had had consensual sex with her the night she was killed after after an invitation by Mr Mayes.
He said he had only denied having sex with her initially because he did not want to upset his girlfriend.
When giving evidence, Mr Mayes described this claim as "preposterous".
Whant was caught on CCTV by three separate cameras driving his car from the party he had been to near Miss Grender's flat.
Blood on a shirt and in his car was also identified as Ms Grender's.
22 Feb, 2012
-
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-17112380
--
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar