BRUTAL DOMESTIC MURDER IN SWINDON: MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE
A man has been convicted of murdering his partner by brutally attacking her, pouring paint down her throat, and setting her house ablaze, after they argued at a Christmas party.Anthony Porter, aged 32, entered the house of Andraya Lyons, a mother of two aged 38, in Swindon in the early hours of December 10 last year.
Prior to the incident, Porter and Lyons had attended her work Christmas party at the Marriott hotel in Swindon on December 9, where Porter had reportedly consumed heavy alcohol and become increasingly aggressive.
During the attack, Porter assaulted Lyons with punches, kicks, stamping, and hitting her with an iron, causing 45 injuries.
He then poured grey paint into her unconscious body and subsequently set her home on fire.
Emergency responders found Lyons’ charred body after neighbors reported hearing shouting and a woman screaming for up to six minutes.
Porter surrendered to police hours later and admitted to the murder, describing it as 'five minutes of madness.' Judge Peter Blair QC sentenced Porter to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years and six months to serve.
Lyons’ family paid tribute to her as 'a generous, fun-loving, bubbly, caring person' and urged others to seek help if experiencing domestic abuse, expressing regret that they were unaware of her suffering.
The court noted Porter’s previous violence convictions and his own remorse reflected in a letter he wrote to Lyons’ family, where he expressed guilt over her death and the impact on her children.
The judge emphasized that Lyons was entitled to feel safe in her home, but Porter had violated that trust, and she was still alive when the house was set ablaze.
Lyons’ post-mortem confirmed her death resulted from the fire, inhaling paint, and head injuries.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 17½ years in prison after pleading guilty to murder.
The case highlights the importance of recognizing domestic abuse and seeking help.
