Key Events So Far 4 mins ago 26 YEARS 2 hours ago MUNRO MURDER SENTENCE 13:00 CELLS
He is taken down to the cells.
There are tears from Clare![’]()
s family as they leave court.
13:00 Key event 26 YEARS
Justice Turner is outlining case law relating to the method of sentencing.
He says Munro by applying to change his plea Munro increased the number of witnesses needed and court time spent, and during the proceedings he was found to have lied.
Justice Turner will sentence first for the offence of Grievous Bodily Harm with intent against the surviving victim, a child.
Munro remains calm and emotionless in the dock.
Justice Turner says Munro will be catergorised as dangerous, despite his lack of violence.
He said: “You will be a danger to anyone you consider to have humiliated you.”
Munro is sentenced to 12 years in prison for GBH.
MUNRO IS SENTENCED TO A MINIMUM TERM OF 26 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE BRUTAL MURDER OF HIS WIFE, CLARE MUNRO.
12:59 LIFE IN PRISON
Justice Turner “You made your wife![’]()
s final weeks next to unbearable.”
Justice Turner says the murder was not premeditated, but marked the end of weeks of “intolerable intrusion” into his wife![’]()
s life.
He says Munro had no symptoms of a psychotic disorder.
He describes the impact on the survivor and other witnesses, who cannot be identified.
“Now I proceed to the process of sentencing. There is only one sentence, and that is life.”
He explains that the minimum term he will impose will be at least the amount of time he must serve in prison.
This is different to most “determinate” sentences, in which the prisoner can expect to serve half the sentence imposed
In a minimum sentence, the prisoner can only be released if a parole board is satisfied they are no longer a danger to the public.
He outlines the aggravating features of the offence, including the impact on the survivor and other witnesses.
Mr Justice Turner: “The bloody spectacle of your appalling violence and savagery will scar the lives of the witnesses forever.”
In mitigation, he accepts that Munro had been under stress due to the deteriorating marriage and his wife![’]()
s affair.
He says he will take three years from the final sentence in mitigation.
However he says no discount whatsoever will be given for the guilty plea, in light of Munro![’]()
s unsuccessful attempt to have it withdrawn.
12:43 CHILLING SELF CONTROL
Mr Butterfield suggests that the absence of any history of violence in his client suggests that Munro should not be classed as a “dangerous offender” under sentencing guidelines.
Mr Butterfield says that the type of sentence that should be imposed is “well known” to his client.
He says Munro knows he has “devastated more than one life.”
That concludes the defence case.
Justice Turner will now sentence the defendant.
He begins by summing up the evidence: “Over a year ago, your brutally murdered your wife in a savage attack.”
He outlines Clare![’]()
s heroic actions in saving the other witnesses, in the “certainty” she was going to die.
Despite Clare![’]()
s efforts, Munro was able to sever the finger of the other witness.
He says Munro![’]()
s calm tones recorded on the 999 call as he “stabbed her corpse” was indicative of an “iron and chilling” self control.
12:40 DEFENDANT UNDER STRESS
Mr Butterfield is addressing the court about the context of the crime
“He had been under significant pressure. His marriage was deteriorating, and he was making efforts to save it by going to Relate among other examples, and not only to save his marriage but also to maintain his job, and all this in the context of a deteriorating mental state.”
Mr Butterfield says Munro was losing weight due to the stress he was under. He had explained to his doctor he was unable to sleep.
Mr Butterfield: “He was trying as he always had to commit to those things that mattered to him, including his job and providing a structure to his family.”
He says his client![’]()
s personality and autistic traits meant it was difficult for him to deal with the situation.
“An individual of that nature finds disruption of routine, of family, of relationships, particularly difficult to cope with.”
Mr Butterfield is challenging the suggestion that the murder was carried out in the wake of Clare telling him the marriage was over.
He says that witnesses described Clare telling Munro the day before the murder, at The Trafford Centre, that “love would take some time to return” and not that the marriage was over
Earlier we heard that she had told her boyfriend that she had told Munro she was leaving him and he had “not taken it well.”
Mr Butterfield: “She would not be the first person in history, in the middle of what is known as a love triangle, to tell the others what they wanted to hear.”
Justice Turner: “This rather undermines your suggestion to me that there was some sort of provocation, if there was a chance the marriage was going to go on.”
Mr Butterfield says he is attempting to show that the reality behind the incident was “more nuanced” than Munro killing Clare because she said the marriage was over.
12:24 MUNRO'S MENTAL STATE
Justice Turner counters that the witnesses did not know they would not have to give evidence until recent weeks, when they heard Munro![’]()
s application to change his plea had been rejected.
He refers to Clare![’]()
s father![’]()
s statement, dated June 9 2015, in which he said it was only upon learning that the application had been lifted that a “shadow” was lifted.
Mr Butterfield is now discussing psychiatric reports of his client.
He describes one report which suggested Mr Munro had “difficulty” registering other people![’]()
s emotions and had some “autistic traits.”
He describes his “log” of his wife![’]()
s activities as demonstrative of “fixated, intense and abnormal behaviour” and “rigid thinking.”
Justice Turner: “There is no evidence, is there, that someone who falls within the autistic personality disorder spectrum is more likely to commit violent crime?”
Mr Butterfield: “The rigid thinking that he exhibits would have been challenged by what was going on in the family home.
“At the point of the crime he had never had any treatment or counselling, and had been given no coping strategies.”
Justice Turner: “But if there is no link between autism and violence, what difference would it have made?”
Mr Butterfield counters that there does not need to be a causal link between condition and violence, but that his ability to cope would have been reduced.
12:20 DEFENCE CASE
John Butterfield, QC, will now make representations on Munro![’]()
s behalf.
He accepts “a number of aggravating features of the case” identified by the prosecution.
Mr Butterfield says Munro has very little in the way of previous convictions.
He says prior to the incident he was a man of good character, holding down a steady job and being involved in charity work.
He says there is no evidence prior to the incident of any violence in the 16 year relationship.
Mr Butterfield suggests that Munro![’]()
s “mean and controlling” behaviour was a symptom of his deteriorating marriage, and not the cause of it.
He says the appropriate starting point for sentence should be 15 years, with adjustments for aggravating or mitigating features after.
Mr Butterfield says the murder was not carried out for monetary gain, and that he did plead guilty.
Justice Turner indicates he is not prepared to allow any more than five per cent reduction in sentence for the guilty plea, after Munro![’]()
s unsuccessful application to change his plea.
An early guilty plea usually attracts around credit of around a 25 per cent reduction in the length of sentence.
Mr Butterfield says the psychiatric issues faced by his client were not solved with “anything like clarity”.
He suggests that witnesses were spared “emotionally charged” testimony by the guilty plea.
12:07 FURTHER TRIBUTES
Mr Johnston says not being able to see his daughter again is “almost too much to bear.”
Now a statement from Clare![’]()
s brother, whose name I didn![’]()
t quite catch.
“Clare was so full of life, so full of energy it was contagious.”
“We promised Clare many years ago that we would take on her children if she died. We never expected the manner of Clare![’]()
s death but now my family has grown.”
Now a statement from Clare![’]()
s sister-in-law Linda Johnston. Her brother![’]()
s name is in fact Duncan Johnston.
She says “Clare and I had such a close bond, especially in the years leading up to her horrific and untimely death.”
“I have recurrent nightmares about the events of that day, and the thought of Andrew being released fills me with fear I cannot describe.”
That concludes the victim impact statements.
Mr McDermott says there are numerous statements from other witnesses testifying to the impact of Clare![’]()
s loss.
Mr McDermott asks Justice Turner if he can assist any further.
Justice Turner asks for some clarifications on legal points relating to sentencing.
11:57 Victim impact statement
Anja Horwood, assisting Mr McDermott, is reading statements from the survivor of the attack who cannot be identified.
Clare![’]()
s family are becoming distressed.
The statement says: “If I have a panic attack, I just freak out, I want to get away and I just cry and scream. By June I was having around three a month![…]()
Munro, sitting in the dock, appears expressionless.
The victim says “He cut the top of my finger off trying to get me, it hurt so much, and there was so much blood, I thought I was going to die that day.”
She says the wound to her finger still hurts when it gets cold. “We will never be the same.”
There is now a statement from Michael Johnston, Clare![’]()
s father.
He says his relationship with Clare grew after the loss of his wife.
He said she would ring him every day, “because that![’]()
s the kind of person she was. “I had suspected for some time she wasn![’]()
t happy, but as her father, it wasn![’]()
t my place to interfere in her relationship.”
In October 2014, Clare![’]()
s marriage “was in a mess.”
Mr Johnston said: “Clare was always a shining light in so many people![’]()
s lives and it was sad to see how down-trodden she had become in the hands of her husband.”
He is describing the moment he was informed of Clare![’]()
s death.
“I will never forget that day as long as we live![…]()
that night will haunt me forever.”
“I had been informed of the number of stab wounds she had received. I had imagined only one or two. To hear it was 51 shocked me so much.”
“From the day Clare was killed I have become a parent to my grandchildren.”
11:48 No grounds for plea of diminished responsibility
Mr McDermott: “It is the prosecution case that he did not lose his self control. We say this was a murder committed out of jealousy, pride, and anger at his wife![’]()
s announcement the previous evening that the marriage was over.”
He reads evidence from psychiatrists.
There are disputing assessments which disagree over whether Munro is on the Asperger![’]()
s spectrum.
However one psychiatrist notes there is no known link between Asperger![’]()
s and violent crime.
He said a diagnosis of Asperger![’]()
s would not give grounds for a plea of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Mr McDermott: “Any condition he may have had is irrelevant to his plea.”
The court hears Munro had one previous conviction from 1995, for criminal damage.
This was in relation to an argument with his ex wife.
11:39 "I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I DID WHAT I DID"
When the paramedics found Clare Munro on the kitchen floor, on her front.
Mr McDermott: “There was nothing that could be done for her.”
Blood was found upstairs in the house, and the distribution of blood in the kitchen suggested she had been moving around there.
Munro was taken to Runcorn Custody Suite where he was declared fit to be interviewed.
In the three interviews that followed he said nothing.
However he gave a statement which said: “The attack was a blur.”
He mentioned the affair and said “I have no idea about why I did what I did, what I was thinking at the time or what possessed me to do it.”
But Mr McDermott said discussions with his legal team, which were made available to the court in the proceedings after her attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, showed he in fact remembered the attack in great detail.
11:38 "IT'S OVER"
Mr McDermott says Munro awoke the following day, the Sunday of her death, in a “lighter mood.”
Clare went out to Asda at Birchwood, Warrington.
At about 11am, Clare had a long conversation with her boyfriend.
During that conversation she told him she had told Munro the marriage was over the previous day,while they were at the Trafford Centre.
She told him Munro had “not taken it well.”
CCTV at the Trafford Centre showed Munro pacing around with his head in his hands. Munro had asked “why can![’]()
t you love me?”
Later that day, the witness who was also attacked said Munro had wanted to sit down and speak to Clare about the relationship.
Following the violence, Munro left his wife dead on the floor.
“He had left his wife to die, and done nothing to help her,” says Mr McDermott.
He was arrested in an open field behind his wife, telling officers he had “had an argument with his wife.”
The witness, who had fled the scene, was found in a hysterical state by neighbours.
She informed them he had killed Clare Munro and warned them, “He will probably kill you too.”
11:31 INTENSE SURVEILLANCE
On October 14, 2014, there was a second counselling session.
He admitted putting software on Clare![’]()
s phone.
On October 23, Clare was pursued to Birchwood train station, where she had been pursued by Munro to use public telephones.
On October 29, four days before her death, she decided to go to Scotland with her brother for a break, without the defendant.
Mr McDermott says the defendant had discovered his wife![’]()
s lover![’]()
s address through internet tracking services.
He had bought a tracking device for £337 and fitted it to the chassis of the family Vauxhall car.
Clare Munro returned to Culcheth the day before her death.
While away she had phoned her boyfriend each day.
11:26 FALSE POLICE REPORTS
Mr McDermott says the defendant attended a police station saying his wife and her lover were planning to kill him, in a “scurrilous and unfounded” report.
He told police that his wife![’]()
s lover was a well known local gangster.
Mr McDermott said: “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
He also claimed to have a recording of them having sex.
Mr McDermott says: “Sadly, that much is probably true.”
Munro claimed: “She was having an affair and she and her lover were planning to get rid of him, so they could get the house and inheritance money.
Mr McDermott: “The allegation about money was odd, because in fact there was no money. Andrew Munro was heavily in debt.”
The court hears police attended the family home and Clare admitted she was having an affair.
In the presence of the officer the defendant removed software from Clare Munro![’]()
s phone.
However Mr McDermott describes this as a “blip” in his “campaign of surveillance.”
Munro eventually overheard the name of Clare![’]()
s lover, which prompted him to purchase surveillance and tracking equipment.
However she decided to “soldier on” with the marriage and said she would give up her lover.
11:21 ‘LIKES TO BE IN CONTROL’
Mr McDermott: “The disservice the defendant believed he had been done was her affair with another man.
“The problems with the relationship could be traced to his mean and controlling behaviour.”
“The defendant is a man who likes to be in control. He kept control of the family finances, he rarely let Clare spend money.”
The court hears Munro had also had an extra-marital affair.
Mr McDermott: “Whatever the cocktail of reasons that lay behind the break-down of the marriage, the fact is Clare Munro began an affair in April 2014, with a man she had previously been in a relationship with prior to her marriage with the defendant.
“This began with a chance meeting but soon texts were exchanged. There is evidence that Clare was not proud of her affair and in the weeks prior to her death had stopped seeing the man to make a go of her marriage.”
IT expert Munro had been monitoring his wife![’]()
s behaviour and tracking her via her phone.
Mr McDermott says she realised she had been tracked by the defendant and took to using public phones to call her boyfriends.
The court hears the couple went to marriage counselling with Relate.
Unbeknown to anyone else Munro had recorded the first session.
Mr McDermott says the Relate counsellor found his behaviour alarming.
he admitted he was controlling.
“It became apparent to the counsellor that his surveillance of her was all encompassing,” says Mr McDermott.
She would be typing on a computer and a box would pop up saying “I know what you are doing.”
The defendant became desperate to know who the other man was, but Clare would not tell him.
She said he would give the other man up and they would make a go of it. But every time things improved they “became worse again.”
11:09 SERIOUS INJURIES
Injuries Mr McDermott will outline a pathologist![’]()
s report.
He says Munro suffered 51 incised wounds.
The majority were deep wounds to her chest, there were multiple “Through and through” injuries to her limbs, which meant the knife had passed straight through.
There were wounds to her heart, lungs, stomach and liver, and spine.
Mr McDermott says there was evidence the victim was not moving when some of the deep wounds were delivered.
The pathologist said: “The bony damage in this case that several wounds were inflicted with extreme force.”
He said the assault demonstrated a clear intent to kill Clare Munro.
Mr McDermott has suggested the relatives who left the courtroom may wish to return.
11:07 999 CALL
999 call Mr McDermott has paused so members of Clare![’]()
s family can leave the court ahead of a 999 call being played.
Several relatives have left. He says the tape shows Munro saying : “I![’]()
m really sorry but you know what you have done to me,” follows by the sound of repeated blows.
He warns the family that remain that there is a lot of screaming.
Munro has also left the dock. The tape is played.
Clare shouting “I am dying, I am dying” is audible.
There are harrowing high pitched screams.
The defendant![’]()
s voice, calm and even, is audible. “I![’]()
m really sorry Clare, but you know what you have done to me.”
There is silence, with the sound of blows.
“I![’]()
m so sorry it![’]()
s come to this, I really am so sorry, I can![’]()
t believe it![’]()
s come to this. I can![’]()
t believe what you![’]()
ve done, I can![’]()
t believe what you have done.”
He says to a witness: “When the ambulance comes she will be ok.”
The witness shouts, “No, she![’]()
s actually dead.”
The tape has stopped.
The relatives who have remained in court are in tears.
11:04 SAVAGE ASSAULT
The discussion started again, but suddenly the defendant started screaming, picked up one of the knives, and then “charged” towards his wife stabbing her with “great force.”
Mr McDermott says Clare Munro showed “great fortitude” to protect other witnesses who were present, and managed to run away from the defendant despite being “mortally wounded.”
Clare managed to stop the defendant attacking the witness, and shouted “get out of the window, he![’]()
s killing me.”
The witness says she was certain Munro had “tried to stab her.”
Another witness said Munro had tried to stab the other victim “really hard.”
Mr McDermott: “Such was the force of the blow he severed the tip of her finger from the bone.”
Munro then turned his attention back to Clare, and began stabbing her to the body.
“Astonishingly, Clare started to put ice on the wounds on the witness.
The Witness says she knew Clare was dying at this point.”
Clare begged Munro to allow her to call 999.
He agreed and said “fine, I![’]()
ll go and stay at Izzy![’]()
s (his sister![’]()
s).
However he then “roared with anger” before turning back and continuing the fatal attack.
10:56 RELATIONSHIP BROKE DOWN
On Sunday November 2, 2014, about 2.15pm, Munro was in the kitchen of the family home in Culcheth.
Mr McDermott: “In the days before this Sunday, Clare and her children had spent some days in Scotland with Clare![’]()
s brother. There had been problems in the marriage for some months, the relationship had broken down and the defendant had known for some weeks his wife was seeing another man.”
A witness described Munro in this time as: “Shouting all the time and angry all the time.”
Mr McDermott says the defendant had become extremely angry in the hours before the incident.
He says Munro sat down with his wife in the kitchen of the property and asked to “talk about all this.”
It began to rain and Clare went outside to fetch the washing.
She sat down in the living room.
Munro went into the kitchen and began cutting some malt loaf, using a very large knife.
He then took another similar sized knife.
10:54 PROCEEDINGS UNDER WAY
Proceedings underway Judge Turner has entered the courtroom.
Munro is in the dock, wearing a black suit with a red and white striped tie.
Mr McDermott is opening the case.
He says a 999 call from the victim will be played, and warns members of Clare![’]()
s family they may wish to leave.
He says on June 4, the defendant pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife and causing GBH with intent to another victim, who can![’]()
t be named for legal reasons.
Mr McDermott said the pleas were accepted, and the case was adjourned.
On the following Tuesday, after a further conference with his counsel, the defendant said he wished to change his pleas.
After four separate days of evidence, the application to change his plea was rejected and Munro remained guilty of murder.
Mr McDermott: “The was a clear dichotomy between his account and that of his former lawyers.”
10:40 PACKED COURT ROOM
Proceedings should be under way shortly.
The public gallery is packed with the friends and family of Mrs Munro.
John McDermott, QC, will outline the prosecution case while John Butterfield, QC, represents the defendant Andrew Munro.
The honourable judge Mr Justice Mark Turner will preside over the case.
Key event MUNRO MURDER SENTENCE
IT worker Andrew Munro, 51, killed mum-of-three Clare Munro, 47, as she begged for her life at their home in Culcheth, near Warrington, on November 2 last year.
In her dying moments Mrs Munro turned to her husband and said: “Andy, please don![’]()
t kill me, I need to phone 999 and get help. Please let me do this.”
Munro, who described himself as the ![‘]()
David Beckham of IT![’]()
. agreed and turned to leave but then stabbed her again, during which time his “calm and collected voice” could be heard on an emergency call along with further attacks.
Mrs Munro, who worked as a child-minder and dog walker, was later found at the house in Chiltern Road with multiple wounds to her upper body, which pathologists said would have required “extreme force”.
In June this year, Munro admitted her murder and pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to another victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/
s family as they leave court.
Munro, sitting in the dock, appears expressionless. 
David Beckham of IT
