Rapist given life for double murder

David Tiley sat impassively in Winchester Crown Court as the families of his two victims told of the terrible devastation caused by their deaths.

The 47-year-old was under police monitoring when he horrifically sexually assaulted his vulnerable partner and mother-of-five Sue Hale, 49, before killing her and living with her body in her Southampton flat for more than a week.

Mrs Hale suffered from cerebellar ataxia, a rare degenerative brain disorder which caused her difficulties in walking and speaking.

She was cared for by dedicated mother-of-two Sarah Merritt, 39, who worked for the Carewatch agency, who he bound, raped and stabbed when she came to the ground-floor flat for an appointment to bathe Mrs Hale on March 15 this year.

Police are now launching a review into the circumstances surrounding the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa) which classed Tiley as a medium to low risk offender.

Tattooed Tiley, wearing a burgundy sweatshirt, who was diagnosed as having a personality disorder, pleaded guilty to both counts of murder and was sentenced to life by Mr Justice Irwin.

He said: "The brutality and evil of what you did defies adequate description. These offences are quite exceptionally serious.

"The only appropriate order in this case is that there should be a whole life order.

"The only proper punishment for you is that you must never be released."