Man blows kiss after jury finds him guilty of murdering and dismembering victim
A killer sentenced to life behind bars blew a kiss to the public gallery after a jury found him guilty of murdering and dismembering a man.
Lee Clarke was found guilty of murdering Phillip Lewis at Chelmsford Crown Court today. Mr Lewis, known locally as "Scottish Phil", went missing and his remains were later found in Oakwood Pond, Harlow in Essex. Since the initial discovery, another five ponds and reservoirs were searched in the Harlow area, with more remains later being found.
The jury convicted Clarke of a single count of murder after more than ten hours of deliberation today. Clarke, who wore a blue shirt in the dock, showed no sign of emotion as the guilty verdict was delivered to the court. There were weeps from the public gallery and he blew a kiss to an attending person as he was taken to the cells.
Judge Morgan, addressing the convicted murderer, said: “There’s only one sentence I can pass in relation to the offence of murder and that is life in prison. If you choose not to attend [your sentencing] consideration will be given to sentencing you in your absence.”
Phillip Lewis' body was found in several ponds and waterways around Harlow, in Essex (Essex Police)Earlier in the trial, the jury heard evidence from a witness, who knew both Mr Lewis and the defendant. In the police interview played to the jury, the witness shared how Clarke had allegedly told them he had "been through some s**t" and eventually said he had killed someone. They said they had also visited Clarke's flat in Harlow in the days before his arrest and had noticed cleaning equipment in the living room, and blood splatters on the wall near his bed.
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The witness said: "When we had the snow just before Christmas, I was up and down and Lee came over to me and was sitting on the floor. I was going through a lot of s**t at the time, he asked what was wrong with me and I said I've got a lot of s**t going on. He said 'you don't know what s**t is'.
"He said 'I've got a lot of s**t going on, I'm going to go to prison for a very long time'. He said it doesn't matter, 'I don't think I'm going to get caught anyway because I got rid of the evidence'. He said everything he was wearing when it happened he burnt and got rid of it.
Phillip Lewis was known locally as Scottish Phil (Essex Police)"I was thinking it was an armed robbery. He went quiet and then he just came out with it and said that he killed someone. When I heard that I was shocked." The witness said Clarke was "a bit of a bulls**t" once he had taken cocaine and he "likes to run his mouth", so they wasn't sure to take him seriously."
Clarke will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on March 12.
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