EX-POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR WIFE HEATHER COOPER'S MURDER
Peter Foster, a 36-year-old ex-police officer from Haslemere, has been handed a life sentence after being convicted of murdering Heather Cooper, his police officer partner.Foster pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to serve at least 17 years in prison at Lewes Crown Court.
Heather Cooper, 33 and on maternity leave from Surrey Police, was subjected to a savage attack at their home on West Street, where she was struck over the head and stabbed in the throat area.
Her body was subsequently discovered in Blackdown Woods near Lurgashall on October 16, 2011.
Although initially denying the murder, Foster eventually led detectives to where Heather’s remains were buried following his arrest.
Investigation at their home uncovered a knife and a baseball bat, pointing to a violent assault.
Officer Nick May described Foster as a man with a volatile nature, whose violent actions destroyed a young family.
He said, 'Foster was a volatile man whose actions that day have destroyed this young family.
On the afternoon of October 16, he viciously attacked Heather striking her repeatedly and with extreme force.
His attempt to cover up his crime by hiding her body and trying to dispose of evidence shows he was thinking only of himself.' Heather Cooper was highly regarded for her professionalism and dedication, and she was honored with a police commendation in 2009.
Her family created the Heather Cooper Children’s Fund in her memory, and a memorial service was held at Guildford Cathedral.
An autopsy confirmed she died due to blunt force trauma and a stab wound, in a case that profoundly shocked the local community.
