A man who murdered his partner and fled to the Isle of Wight, where he hid in a tent, has been jailed for life.
Wayne Morris, 47, a refuse worker of Larch Close, Bognor Regis, was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court today (Thursday).
Yesterday, he was convicted an eight-day trial, of the murder of his partner Ruth Brown, 52, at her address in Collyer Avenue on April 8 last year.
Morris was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum term of 17 years.
Wayne Morris - (c) Sussex Police
Police were called to Ruth's home three days later after she was found by family members following concerns that she hadn't been seen or heard from.
She was found dead in her bed, but it became clear that she had been attacked in the kitchen and a postmortem confirmed that she had died from severe and repeated head injuries.
Morris had moved her upstairs and attempted to clean up the kitchen, but then left the house.
On Saturday, April 11, he fled Bognor and travelled to the Isle of Wight with a tent to sleep rough.
A large scale police search was launched and he was arrested by police in Sandown on the Sunday morning.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Mark O'Brien of Sussex Police, said:
"Morris and Ruth Brown had been in a relationship for a number of years. They lived at separate addresses, but Morris had moved in with Ruth, due to the pandemic, just a few days before the murder. On 8 April the couple were involved in an argument culminating in Morris carrying out a violent and sustained attack on Ruth, that caused serious and significant injuries and from which she died.
"Having admitted in court to killing Ruth, Morris made out that he could not remember his actions due to intoxication. The jury have clearly seen through this defence in returning their verdict of murder.
"My thoughts remain with the family of Ruth Brown and I thank them for their resolve throughout the investigation and trial. The violent actions of Morris have cut short the life of Ruth, devastating her family and friends. I sincerely hope that in time they can come to terms with what has happened. Wayne Morris will now spend many years of his life behind bars.
"I also wish to thank the CPS, and particularly prosecuting counsel Mr Philip Bennetts QC for his work in presenting this case."
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