Karl Hutchings has been jailed after admitting the murder of 55-year-old Julie Buckley, whose dismembered remains were found buried in a shallow grave in Cambridgeshire.
Karl Hutchings admitted the murder of 55-year-old Julie Buckley.(Image: PA)
A man who murdered and dismembered a woman before burying her remains in a shallow grave has been jailed after handing police a map showing where her body was.
Karl Hutchings, 48, was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison after admitting the murder of 54-year-old Julie Buckley.
Her remains were found in 10 pieces buried in the Cambridgeshire village of Wimblington more than seven months after she was last seen alive.
After pleading guilty in September last year, Hutchings provided police with a map showing where he had buried Ms Buckley’s remains.
Prosecutor Christine Agnew KC said Ms Buckley and Hutchings had been friends who spent time together and were both addicted to Class A drugs.
Ms Buckley, who had been staying at Hutchings’ home in the Cambridgeshire village of Christchurch, was last seen alive on CCTV at a Budgens supermarket in nearby March on January 28 last year.
The court heard concerns were raised when Ms Buckley failed to attend appointments. Agnew said it appeared she was murdered between January 29 and the morning of January 30.
Evidence showed Hutchings used Ms Buckley’s bank card to buy alcohol at a One Stop shop on the morning of January 30 before later selling her car for £500.
A post-mortem examination found Ms Buckley had suffered 11 blows to the skull.
The court heard Hutchings later told a teacher at HMP Peterborough that he had “waited it out” before pleading guilty because he had hoped to be dealt with on a diminished responsibility basis.
He said he killed Ms Buckley because she had been stealing from him and had tried to convince him he was “mad”.
The prosecution said Hutchings told the teacher he struck Ms Buckley over the head with a hammer before hitting her again, saying the second blow “finished her off”.
When officers arrested Hutchings on February 13 last year, they discovered extensive blood staining on a sofa inside his home. Investigators also found part of the living room carpet had been removed and burnt items in the garden.
Mitigating, Allison Summers said Hutchings had a long history of mental health problems and significant drug addiction. She told the court Ms Buckley had been homeless and Hutchings had offered her a place to stay.
She said the precise trigger for the attack may never be known, but suggested it was likely Hutchings “lost it” before attacking Ms Buckley.
The court also heard Hutchings had been released from a psychiatric unit less than three months before the murder and decided to plead guilty after being advised that a psychiatric report did not support a defence of diminished responsibility.
