Martin Suter, 68, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 27 years and 230 days for the murder of his ex-wife, Ann Blackwood, at their son's grave in Hampshire. The attack occurred on what would have been their late son's birthday in 2023.
Suter, a Green party member and former council candidate, waited for five hours at Stubbington graveyard before stabbing Blackwood, 71, 19 times with a 12-inch kitchen knife and a pair of scissors she had brought to trim memorial flowers. Judge Michael Bowes KC described the crime as an act of wickedness.
Blackwood's brother, John, stated in court: 'Her life was pitilessly extinguished in such a savage way. It is something that our family will never be able to come to terms with.' The couple's son, Christopher, died at age 15 in 2003, and they divorced the following year.
Suter, an engineer and yachting enthusiast from Lee-on-the-Solent, admitted murder in May 2023. He also received a four-month sentence for a separate indecent assault on a girl under 14. After sentencing, he showed little emotion and smiled as he left court.
Blackwood's family remembered her as 'a loving, caring, kind-hearted mother, sister and friend' and a dedicated teacher. Detective Inspector Martin Longyear of Hampshire police said the sentence ensures Suter will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
