Man jailed for murdering girlfriend he set on fire

Leigh Pateman fled the scene on his bike but was found at his mother's house, where he had gone to bed, covered in soot

A man whose girlfriend died two years after he poured petrol over her and deliberately set her on fire has been jailed for life.

Ellen Marshall suffered 80% burns when Leigh Pateman, 45, doused her and set her alight as she sat in a chair at her home in Skegness, Lincolnshire, during an argument on 22 April 2021.

In March 2022, Pateman was sentenced to 17 years and 10 months in prison after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent. He was charged with murder following Ms Marshall's death on 11 March 2023, nearly two years after the incident.

At Lincoln Crown Court on Monday, he was sentenced to a minimum term of 23 years and 145 days in prison after previously pleading guilty to murder.

Passing sentence, Judge Simon Hirst told Pateman: "The cause of Ms Marshall's death was pneumonia as a result of the injuries inflicted upon her by you."

The judge said he was satisfied there was a significant degree of planning by Pateman and a pattern of "terrifying" Ms Marshall in the weeks before the attack.

The court heard the 45-year-old had previously threatened to kill his partner by setting her on fire and had kept petrol at his property, but she did not believe him.

Judge Hirst told Pateman: "Ms Marshall endured the most excruciating pain and suffering from the injuries you inflicted upon her."

Ellen Marshall became "weaker and weaker as the days went by, but even then she was so strong of heart", her daughter said

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Ms Marshall's daughter, Paige Clarke, described how, despite her burns, her mother had kept fighting to carry on and to one day hold her first grandchild but "that day will now never come".

"She became weaker and weaker as the days went by, but even then she was so strong of heart.

"The physical, mental and emotional pain that my mother had to go through is almost impossible to put into words," she said.

"She could not bear to look at herself for a year."

Ms Clarke said the moment her mother failed to recognise her during her final hospital visit would "haunt her forever."

The court heard how fire crews were alerted to the presence of a woman by a gurgling sound.

They found Ms Marshall still conscious and writhing around in "extreme pain" on the floor of the living room, which was covered in black smoke.

Prosecutor Sarah Knight said: "There was little hair left on her head.

"Her face was so badly burnt and scorched it was difficult to make out her facial features.

"Her body was scorched where her clothes would have been."

Despite 12 hours of surgery, Ms Marshall was given less than a 50% chance of survival and two medical experts concluded the long-standing burns contributed to her early death.

Pateman fled the scene on his bike but was found at his mother's house where he had gone to bed covered in soot.

A murder charge was brought against Pateman after Ms Marshall died in Nottingham City Hospital, aged 43.

Katherine Goddard KC, defending, said Pateman had expressed sorrow for the experiences endured by Ms Marshall during the last two years of her life and was taking steps to deal with a lifetime of dependency on alcohol.

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