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Joanne Dennehy: The Trial

Crime Files

Joanne Dennehy: The Trial

justice at last

On the 8th of May 2013, Joanna Dennehy was charged with the murder of Kevin Lee and the attempted murders of Robin Bereza and John Rogers.Connections between Slaboszewski, Chapman and the other victims were established, as was Dennehy’s relationship with both. Pathology found that the exact same knife had been used on all five victims.While on remand before the trial, prison staff found an escape plot in Dennehy's diary. The plan involved killing or seriously injuring a prison guard, severing off one of their fingers and using it to fool the biometric system in the prison.

Dennehy was placed in solitary confinement from September 2013 to September 2015 because of the plot.On the 21st of November 2013 Joanna Dennehy pleaded guilty to all charges. She went straight to the Old Bailey for sentencing where Mark Lloyd testified against her. Lloyd, who maintained that he was an unwilling spectator in the final two murder attempts, was not charged with any crime.On the 10th of February 2014 Gary “Stretch” Richards was found guilty of attempted murder. Leslie Layton was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. On the 12th of February Layton and Richards were convicted of all other charges including three counts of preventing the lawful burial of a body.On the 28th of February 2014 at the Old Bailey, Joanna Dennehy was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial judge, Mr. Justice Spencer, recommended that she should never be released. He said that this was justified due to the premeditation of each murder. Dennehy is one of only three women in the United Kingdom to be told that her life sentence should mean life – a "whole life tariff", meaning she should never be released. The other two being the deceased Moors Murderer Myra Hindley, and serial killer Rosemary West.