- Vincentian Xyaire Howard and his lover Chelsea Grant jailed in the UK for murder of Susan Hawkey .
- Vincentian couple gets lengthy sentences for murder of UK pensioner
- Robber who murdered reclusive pensioner jailed for life
A murderer who terrorised and strangled an elderly woman before embarking on a £13,000 shopping spree with her funds has been sentenced to at least 31 years in prison.
Xyaire Howard, 24, chained Susan Hawkey, 71, in her own house and compelled her to hand over her bank card PIN in September 2022.
Howard then murdered Ms Hawkey to prevent her from reporting what had occurred before he and lover Chelsea Grant, 28, spent hundreds of pounds of her money at Westfield shopping mall.
Prosecutors described Ms Hawkey as a “creature of habit” who would follow the same route with her bank card to the shops and Post Office to withdraw cash on many occasions.
The corpse of the retiree was discovered 20 days later beneath a blanket in the main room of her house in Neasden, northwest London.
Her lower garments had been removed, her wrists taped and bound behind her back, her eyes taped shut, and a ligature wrapped around her neck had shattered one of her neck bones.
Howard was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 31 years on Wednesday for murder, attempted robbery, and two robberies.
Grant was sentenced to 15 years in jail for three robberies and one attempted robbery against Ms Hawkey.
‘Greed and dishonesty’ drove them.
The pair were driven by “greed and dishonesty,” according to Judge Judy Khan KC.
Howard, she said, “terrorised” Ms Hawkey and subjected her to “humiliation and degradation” in order to get access to her money.
Over the course of three weeks, the couple completed 146 transactions totaling almost £13,000.
Perfume, a new television, portable speakers, cellphones, clothing, shoes, sunglasses, watches, and purses were among the high-end purchases.
Ms Hawkey’s bank account balance dropped from more over £16,000 to barely £3,434.03, jurors heard.
On September 28, last year, her bank card was ultimately blocked at the request of police, and the defendants were apprehended at a bus stop.
Ms Hawkey’s relatives described her as a “proud woman” who lived a solitary life after losing her parents and her career in a victim impact statement.
