NORWICH MAN JAILED FOR BRUTAL MURDER OF ELDERLY WOMAN
At Ipswich Crown Court, 23-year-old Alexander Kerry from Kinghorn Road, Norwich, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the murder of Pauline King, an 82-year-old woman described as a 'reclusive hermit.' Ms.King was discovered dead at her Norwich home on 22 February, having been brutally attacked with a knife and hammer during a burglary.
The court heard that Kerry was involved in a ferocious assault that left her with approximately 80 injuries, including 27 on her head and face.
As part of his sentence, Judge Stuart-Smith ordered that Kerry serve a minimum of 25 and a half years behind bars.
The judge characterized the attack as 'vile' and highlighted Kerry’s prior record of violence, disorder, and recent release from a psychiatric facility.
Police described the assault as particularly brutal, and Kerry’s bloodied, wandering condition after the attack led to his immediate arrest.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Kerry, who had been drinking at a Norwich pub, broke into Ms.
King’s residence intending to steal money, then violently assaulted her and later tried to set fire to her home to hide the crime.
The judge also noted that Kerry’s childhood included the murder of his mother by his father, an event that likely affected his development.
The incident underscored Kerry’s longstanding pattern of violence and the tragic murder of Ms.
King, events that caused widespread community fear and sorrow.
