A Reading man has been jailed for life for murdering his girlfriend Beth Aspey with a hammer.
Ben Shand, aged 45, of Crescent Road, will serve a minimum of 20 years in prison after he killed his 34-year-old partner at her Bedford Court flat on April 30.
Shand was found guilty of her murder following a two-week trial earlier this month and was sentenced today (Monday) at Reading Crown Court.
The court heard how during an argument, Shand punched his victim in the throat, then attacked her with a hammer after “losing control”.
Shand denied being the killer, but the court heard how during the terrifying ordeal, which lasted up to an hour, he struck Ms Aspey repeatedly with a claw hammer and a pair of pliers.
Ms Aspey, who was visually impaired due to her long-term struggles with diabetes, suffered a fatal blow to the head when Shand hit her with the claw of the hammer, leaving her bleeding profusely on her bathroom floor.
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During the trial, the court heard how Ms Aspey could have been saved if Shand had called an ambulance for his victim, but he chose not to, instead attempting to create a story painting him as an innocent bystander.
The jury was not convinced by this evidence, and unanimously found him guilty of murder.
Before he was sentenced, prosecutor Sasha Wass QC described the incident as a “prolonged attack which must have caused suffering.”
Defence barrister Katherine Lumsden did not present the judge with any mitigating circumstances for her client.
Before sentencing Shand to life behind bars, Judge Paul Dugdale told the court he had received a latter from Beth’s mother, Tracey Aspey, describing the impact of her daughter’s loss on her and her family.
Referring to the letter, Judge Dugdale said: “Her statement is short but her pain and her loss is the most powerful evidence that I have heard in this case.
“She speaks of a young woman who did not let the damage done to her eyesight from her lifelong diabetes prevent her from helping as a volunteer in art classes and food kitchens to help others.
“She spoke of the devastating loss that Beth’s death has caused her family. And she was unable to put into words her feeling of unimaginable pain that she will never again be able to hold her daughter in her arms.”
Addressing Shand before sentencing him, Judge Dugdale added: “This was an act of extreme violence, committed by you I am sure in a violent rage.
“You took the life of a woman from a family who loved her. You have shown no recognition or remorse for the terrible act you did that night.”
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