A woman who controlled, exploited, defrauded and then ultimately starved to death her live-in landlord to try and inherit his £3.5m estate, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his murder.
ALSO READ: Banbury woman convicted of murdering her millionaire landlord
Lynda Rickard, 62, of Edinburgh Close, Banbury, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years, after being convicted of the murder of James Anthony Sootheran, known as Anthony, in South Newington, near Banbury in Oxfordshire.
She was found guilty of murder on Friday (28/5) after a seven-week trial at Reading Crown Court.
Her husband, 66-year-old Wayne Rickard, of the same address, was found guilty of causing/ allowing the death of a vulnerable adult, and was jailed for 10 years and six months’. He was cleared of murder.
Both Rickards were also found guilty of a separate count of fraud, while Wayne Rickard was also convicted of a count of perverting the course of justice.
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hree other defendants involved in the trial were also convicted for their roles in the callous defrauding of Anthony and Joy.
Denise Neal, aged 41, of Radway Road, Lower Tysoe in Warwickshire, and Michael Dunkey, aged 49, of Portland Road, Milcombe, were both found guilty of one count of fraud relating to Anthony’s forged will.
Shanda Robinson, aged 51, of Sage Close in Banbury was convicted of one count of fraud and perverting the course of public justice relating to Joy’s forged will and trying to pass it off as genuine in court proceedings.
A sixth defendant, June Alsford, aged 78, of Little Lane, Aynho in Northamptonshire had previously pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice relating to Joy’s forged will.
James Sootheran murder trial: Couple starved live-in landlord to death, court hears
Denise Neal was sentenced to two years’ and three months’ imprisonment.
Shanda Robinson was sentenced to two years’ and eight months’ imprisonment.
Michael Dunkley was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and June Alsford was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment suspended for two years.
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