A labourer who strangled a mother-of-two to death and then burned her body has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after leading police to her shallow grave in woods near Coventry. Mohammed Durnion, 42, was convicted of manslaughter at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday, March 26, after a jury cleared him of murder.
The court heard that Durnion killed 33-year-old Reanne Coulson just five minutes after she arrived at his flat near Coventry city centre on May 21 last year. A neighbour overheard the violent attack and called 999. When police arrived, Durnion feigned a mental health crisis and falsely claimed his father had cancer, preventing officers from finding Ms Coulson's body, which he had hidden under a mattress.
The next day, Durnion transported Ms Coulson's body to Binley Woods, where he buried her in a shallow grave after setting her body on fire with petrol in an attempt to destroy evidence. Her body was discovered five and a half weeks later when Durnion broke down in front of detectives and agreed to show them where he had buried her.
Sentencing Durnion, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said he had shown 'total contempt for her in life and in death,' noting that he had put her body in a suitcase and driven around to find a disposal site. The judge stated that fractures to the neck were consistent with a hand being placed around her throat.
Durnion's friend, Adam Moore, 39, was also convicted of assisting an offender for helping to dispose of Ms Coulson's body. He was sentenced to six years in prison. The judge told Moore he had shown a 'total lack of conscience' after he told police he wished he had left the victim's body to rot.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Coulson's mother, Lynne Sparkes, described the 'overwhelming grief' her family had suffered, saying: 'Reanne was a beautiful, caring, loving person whose infectious laugh could light up any room. This crime has torn through our entire family and our lives have changed beyond recognition.'
