TOBY NORRIS SENTENCED IN UTTOXETER MURDER AND RECENTLY RELEASED

Toby Norris, aged 39 at the time, committed the murder of his ex-girlfriend Tina Moore in her Uttoxeter home in 2003. The incident arose during an argument where Norris and Tina Moore argued about him meeting an old flame, which resulted in Norris strangling her to death. After the killing, Norris calmly dressed Tina's body, brushed her hair, laid her in bed, and then left her to be discovered by her father, Kenneth. When police arrived at the scene, Norris had already fled, escaping by jumping onto a ferry bound for Belgium. He was later extradited back to Britain in 2004 for trial.

Norris was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, initially ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years. On appeal, his sentence was reduced to 12 years. He was released in the previous month after serving 15 years of his sentence. Upon release, Norris has been banned from entering several towns where Tina Moore's family reside, including Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Burton, and Uttoxeter. Authorities require him to notify them of any new relationships and have issued an 'exclusion zone' preventing him from visiting these areas.

His release conditions include residing at an approved premises, adhering to a curfew, and maintaining non-contact restrictions with Tina Moore’s family. Despite his release, Tina Moore's mother, Sonia Moore, has called for increased awareness of Clare's Law, which allows the public to find out if individuals have domestic abuse convictions. She emphasized the importance of such measures in light of the tragic history of Norris’s violence and expressed her resilience despite Norris's presence in her life.

The parole board's report highlighted risk factors such as Norris’s attitudes towards women, tendencies towards violence for control, alcohol misuse, emotional issues, and problem-solving difficulties. During his time in prison, Norris completed courses on domestic violence, healthy relationships, and substance misuse, demonstrating good emotional management in open prison conditions.

The report concluded that Norris's release plan was sufficiently comprehensive to mitigate risks, including an exclusion zone and restrictions on contact with Tina Moore's family, aiming to support his community reintegration.