Tom Palmer A husband and wife were jailed yesterday for beating a Scot to death the day after their wedding.
Tom Palmer
A husband and wife were jailed yesterday for beating a Scot to death the day after their wedding.
Wendy Shobrook and Barry Johnson, from Plymouth, Devon, went on a drinking binge after their marriage on June 9 last year.
Afterwards an argument over Mrs Shobrook's friendship with George Auchterlonie, originally from Perth, resulted in Shobrook setting fire to their council flat.
She told Johnson to "burn in hell" and fled to spend her wedding night with alcoholic friend Mr Auchterlonie, Plymouth Crown Court heard.
The court was told that the following day she contacted her husband and, to deflect anger from her, told him that Mr Auchterlonie tried to rape her and stole her money.
She let Johnson into Mr Auchterlonie's flat and he attacked him with a wooden oar and a heavy glass tumbler.
Johnson, 40, was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter by reason of provocation.
The court heard he has previous convictions for administering poison to endanger life, kidnapping and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Shobrook, 41, was sentenced to five years for manslaughter and three years for arson being reckless as to whether the life of another would be endangered at a property in Clowance Street, Plymouth. Her sentences are to run concurrently.
Judge Francis Gilbert QC said the pair knew Mr Auchterlonie was seriously injured and did nothing to help.
Sentencing Johnson, he said: "The wedding day was quite clearly a disaster. You went into the deceased's flat and attacked him straight away.
"Only when he made some remark that she had consented to some sort of sexual activity that you lost your self-control and attacked him with an oar.
"You knew he was seriously injured and yet you did nothing to alert anyone to the plight of Mr Auchterlonie."
The court heard that Johnson inflicted 38 separate injuries, including 14 to the head and neck.
Mr Auchterlonie, 45, is believed to have died some hours later and the body was not found until three days later - on June 13.
Sentencing Shobrook, Judge Gilbert said: "The jury convicted you of manslaughter on the basis that you encouraged Barry Johnson to inflict harm.
"You did so to deflect anger from you. You knew what a violent man he was."
Both Johnson and Shobrook have already served 388 days in custody, which will count towards their sentences. Martin Meeke QC, prosecuting, said: "When they left George Auchterlonie, he was still alive, left by these defendants to die in a pool of blood."
After the case, Mr Auchterlonie's former wife told how the killing had robbed her four children Samuel, aged 15, Harriet, 13, Mary, eight, and David, six of their father.
Nicola Gleeson, 35, from Newton Abbot, South Devon, said: "George wasn't an angel in my relationship with him, but he was a loving father.
"He was always there for the children. Those two people have pulled my family apart. I want to lash out.
"They deserve everything they get.
"They took the chance away from my children of knowing him and they took away from him the chance to watch them grow up - all for their selfish greed."
