OXFORDSHIRE CARER JAILED FOR ORCHESTRATING ELDERLY MAN'S MURDER BY STARVATION
Lynda Rickard, age 62, has been sentenced to life imprisonment following her conviction for the murder of 59-year-old Anthony Sootheran, who had moved onto his £1.5 million estate to look after his mother.She had forged her elderly mother’s will, who was suffering from dementia before passing away at 92.
The court was told that Rickard intentionally starved Mr.
Sootheran, denying him food, water, and medical assistance, which resulted in his physical deterioration from 17 stones to less than nine stones.
His emaciated body was later found on a mattress on the floor when a general practitioner visited him on March 18, 2014.
During the trial, police bodycam footage displayed her smoking casually during her arrest, and it was revealed she had deceived friends and family with false stories.
Rickard faced charges not only of murder but also multiple counts of fraud, forgery of wills, and conspiring to hinder justice.
Her husband, Wayne Rickard, 66, was sentenced to ten and a half years after being acquitted of murder but convicted of failing to prevent or assist in the death of a vulnerable adult, due to his inaction.
The judge condemned her actions as 'cynical and systematic,' citing her greed as a driving factor, and summarized, 'You murdered Anthony in a most cruel and hard-hearted way.
You starved him of food and left him on a mattress on the floor of his room to die.' The judge stated her greed prevented her from helping him and that she observed his death without intervening, stripping him of his dignity and financial resources.
This case is recognized as a landmark in the prosecution of murder by intentional starvation of an adult victim, with extensive evidence from medical, financial, and witness investigations underpinning the verdict.
