A 70-year-old man was jailed for at least 21 years for the 2013 murder of 86-year-old Una Crown; DNA evidence secured conviction.
Una Crown was found dead in her Wisbech home on January 13, 2013. Her throat was cut, and she had chest stabs. Her clothes were also burned inside.
David Newton was charged with her murder last year, and a trial at Cambridge Crown Court found him guilty. The judge called it a “ferocious” attack on a “defenceless old lady.”
People in the public gallery gasped at the sentence. The defendant briefly raised an eyebrow and was then led to the cells quickly.
Newton lived near Mrs. Crown in Wisbech. Police interviewed and arrested him 12 years ago. Initially, police didn’t think her death was suspicious.
Officers delayed securing the crime scene by two days. The prosecutor called this a ‘“grave error,” and Newton was told he wouldn’t be charged in 2013.
He faced charges a decade later because scientists had a DNA breakthrough. They tested Mrs. Crown’s nail clippings with new methods unavailable in 2013.
The prosecutor said Newton’s DNA was on her nails, specifically clippings from her right hand taken during the 2013 post-mortem.
Jurors found Newton guilty by a vote of 10 to 2 after a month-long trial.
Police apologized to Mrs. Crown’s family, admitting “mistakes” during the 2013 investigation.