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Monika murderer must serve minimum of 25 years
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| Anthony Clarke must serve at least 25 years for the horrific murder of Monika |
A JUDGE has sentenced the murderer of fireball victim Monika Szmecht to a jail term of at least 25 years.
The sentence was passed at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday of Anthony Clarke (27).
He was found guilty of repeatedly stabbing the attractive Polish waitress before setting her on fire at a remote farm track off Blindfoot Lane, Rainford, on the evening of Monday, June 11 last year.
Judge Jonathan Teare told the defendant it was "difficult to imagine the enormity of the physical and mental suffering you inflicted on Monika that evening".
He indicated that after being abducted, Monika must have been terrified of what Clarke was going to do to her and said there was evidence that Clarke had employed a significant degree of planning or premeditation' before killing her.
Mr Justice Teare told the court: "Nobody who listened to the evidence as to how Monika died will forget the horror of her death.
"She collapsed outside a house, naked and smouldering. She was conscious of her dreadful condition and knew she was going to die."
He added: "She identified you as her killer to those who came to her aid."
During the four-week trial, the court heard how Clarke, of Halsey Crescent, West Derby, had locked his ex-girlfriend Monika (20) in a cage in his white Vauxhall combi van after she threatened to press assault charges against him unless he gave her £1,000.
After trapping her in the van for nearly four hours, he then drove her to a dirt track in Rainford, stabbed her, poured petrol over her, set her alight and left her for dead.
Clarke's best friend, Philip Savin, and uncle David were initially charged with Monika's murder, but agreed to give evidence against Clarke after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Savin (29), of Chester Avenue, Bootle, was sentenced to a total of six-years in jail after admitting charges of kidnap, making threats and assisting an offender.
Judge Jonathan Teare told Savin: "You knew Clarke had threatened to burn Monika's house down but still handed him a can of petrol. It must have added greatly to Monika's ordeal and the terror she was experiencing."
David Clarke (46), of Walton Village, was sentenced to two-years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of assisting an offender.
Mr Justice Teare said: "You arranged for the white combi van and the garage to be cleaned and made a series of statements to police which you knew to be false or misleading.
However, I give you credit for the guilty plea, and for giving evidence for the prosecution at considerable risk to yourself."
For more on the trial click here
7:00am Saturday 3rd May 2008
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CommentPosted by: S Webb, LIVONIA,MI, USA on 3:44pm Sat 3 May 08
Clark deserves a life sentence and accomplices 30 yrars.They got off too lightly.
Clark deserves a life sentence and accomplices 30 yrars.They got off too lightly.
Posted by: Paul, Rainford on 8:04pm Sat 3 May 08
This is the minimum the subhuman pondlife deserves... May he and his accomplices rot forever in there. How can you ever consider releasing such a pitiful waste of a soul?
This is the minimum the subhuman pondlife deserves... May he and his accomplices rot forever in there. How can you ever consider releasing such a pitiful waste of a soul?
Posted by: Simon on 2:52am Thu 8 May 08
Anybody capable of killing should never walk the steets again. When someone commits murder, they should be jailed for life and given a cyanide capsule and be told "when you feel like doing the decent thing, take this"
Anybody capable of killing should never walk the steets again. When someone commits murder, they should be jailed for life and given a cyanide capsule and be told "when you feel like doing the decent thing, take this"
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