ROMFORD HANDYMAN GETS LIFE FOR BRUTAL MURDER OF PENSIONER
A handyman has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he admitted to bludgeoning an 85-year-old woman to death with a hammer.Rosina Coleman was killed at her home in Ashmour Gardens, Romford, east London, on 15 May.
The convicted offender, Paul Prause, who is 65 years old and of Romford, stole a £7,000 ring from his victim.
Prause pleaded guilty to Mrs.
Coleman's murder and was jailed at the Old Bailey for a minimum of 22 years.
Initially, Prause told police he had found Mrs.
Coleman's body when he arrived at her house, but police challenged his account during interviews.
He attempted to stage a burglary scene by conducting an 'untidy search' of her bedroom.
After a search of Prause's home, a white gold diamond ring with a solitaire twist was found on top of a brick inside the garage.
The ring belonged to Mrs.
Coleman and had a retail value of up to £7,000.
Prause was observed on CCTV in Ashmour Gardens three times on the morning of her death and had been in nearby Chadwell Heath fixing a washing machine earlier that day.
He then bought latex gloves at a DIY store at 09:05.
Evidence including a latex glove finger and DNA testing linked Prause to the crime scene.
The wounds inflicted on Mrs.
Coleman were described as 'sickening' by the judge, with at least 11 blows of severe force.
Prause had previous convictions for theft, burglary, and vehicle theft between 1966 and 1994.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine stated that Prause pretended he had just come across the crime when in reality, he was the attacker, and he lied to officers until evidence proved his guilt.
