• Full Story

Sentencing brings conclusion for Longleys

Print

Sentencing brings conclusion for Longleys

3News NZ

Emily Longley  (file pic)

Emily Longley (file pic)

The family of aspiring model Emily Longley say the sentencing of her killer's parents in England ended a dreadful year.

Elliot Turner, 20, is spending 16 years in jail for murdering the 17-year-old New Zealander last year after going "absolutely nuts" in a jealous rage.

His parents Leigh, 54, and Anita, 51, were sentenced on Friday in Winchester Crown Court after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice for trying to cover up the killing.

Speaking outside court, Emily's grandfather Ron Longley said: "Today brings a sort of conclusion to a dreadful year.

"Mr and Mrs Turner are very fortunate in how much compassion the judge showed in the mitigating factors and in reducing their sentence.

"We are satisfied with the sentence; we feel it was balanced and just.”

When asked if he believed his family had received justice, he said: "In law certainly. Morally, in terms of life, we can't feel that anything has been made fair."

Emily's father Mark Longley, who is in New Zealand, told Fairfax he was pleased that justice had been done but the Turners showed a lack of remorse.

At the sentencing Justice Dobbs said of Leigh Turner: "You have expressed remorse for Emily's death but for your own actions you have shown precious little."

Turner's parents helped to cover up the crime by destroying a confession letter from their son and taking away vital evidence after the killing at their home in Bournemouth, Dorset, in May last year.

Their son was also sentenced to nine months, to run concurrently, for perverting the course of justice.

Justice Dobbs said the act of destroying a confession letter was a very serious offence.

"People speak highly of you both and it's a tragedy that you, who are both respectable people, have lost that by acting out of misplaced loyalty."

Emily had gone to the UK from New Zealand to study at college just eight months before her murder. She lived with her grandparents in Bournemouth.

NZN

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

7/07/2012 4:09:23 p.m.

S wrote:

Elliot Turner was a product of his parents making. They "let him get away with murder" and those are extreme lengths at a horrible cost of young innocent girls life. The judge should have been more harsher on both sentences.