Lee Foye, 26, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years for the murder of Robert Coello, a serial child sex offender, at HM Prison Grendon in Buckinghamshire. The court heard that Foye stamped on Coello so hard that the tread of his shoes was visible on the victim's body.
Luton Crown Court was told that Foye despised Coello, who had been placed on a wing with non-sex offenders due to overcrowding. Coello had upset other inmates by sharing graphic details of his crimes. Foye, who had manipulated prison authorities to facilitate his transfer to Grendon, chose Coello as his victim, possibly because Coello was vocal about his own offending.
The judge, Richard Foster, described the murder as 'callous, premeditated murder of a helpless victim' and called for a full inquiry into how Foye was allowed to remain at HMP Grendon. The court also heard that Foye was already serving a life sentence for the murder of a former lover, Lauren Strachan, in 2005.
Foye, who boycotted his trial and cut off both his ears while awaiting proceedings, had argued for a manslaughter conviction on grounds of diminished responsibility. The jury rejected this, and the new sentence will run concurrently with his existing 16-year minimum term, meaning he cannot be considered for parole until age 61.
