Marcus Osborne disfigured then killed his ex before murdering her new boyfriend, a court hears

We're going to bring our live coverage of events at Leeds Crown Court to a close now.

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Image source, West Yorkshire Police

These are the key points from the sentencing of Marcus Osborne at Leeds Crown Court today:

• The 35-year-old is given a whole-life term for the murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett (both pictured above)
• He is also given jail terms for the rape and false imprisonment of a woman on the night of the murders
• At Leeds Crown Court, he had previously admitted murdering his ex-girlfriend and her new partner on 15 May 2023
• Katie, 27, and Steven, 25, suffered multiple injuries at a house in Dalton, Huddersfield
• The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, pays tribute in court to the "dignity" of the victims' families
• Katie's family says her loss leaves a "huge, gaping hole" in their lives
• Steven's mother says the pain she feels is "unbearable and indescribable"
• His twin brother criticises the police, saying they "failed" Steven and Katie

The family of Steven Harnett were critical of the police's response to concerns he and Katie Higton raised before they were murdered.

Image source, Oli Constable/BBC

It came after BBC Two's Newsnight programme reported that mothers of murder and manslaughter victims had accused West Yorkshire Police of failing to protect their children who had sought the force's help.

Newsnight's report said nine women in total had raised fears for their safety - with one of those being Katie who contacted police five days before the murders.

West Yorkshire Police said in response, a thorough review of the offences committed by Marcus Osborne was being carried out.

After Katie had complained to police about the behaviour of Osborne in the days before the murders, he was arrested on 12 May.

"In order to build a file of evidence for consideration by the CPS, Osborne was released on police bail with conditions in place not to contact Katie Higton directly or indirectly or attend certain addresses," a statement from the force said.

"He was also served with a domestic violence protection notice."

Following the murders, a referral was made by the force to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to the previous police contact with the victims.

"After IOPC assessment of the case [it] was passed back to West Yorkshire Police for investigation by the force’s Professional Standards Directorate. 

"The results of that investigation were submitted to the IOPC for final review and some further inquiries are now being carried out at their request.

"The murders will also remain subject to a Domestic Homicide Review," a spokesperson added.

This is the moment Marcus Osborne was told at Leeds Crown Court that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Mrs Justice Lambert handed down the sentence and, as part of an agreement between the courts and certain broadcasters such as the BBC, it was filmed:

The police officer leading the investigation into the murders of Katie Higton and Steve Harnett says the actions of Marcus Osborne were "savage but also chillingly calculated".

After Osborne was given a whole-life prison term at Leeds Crown Court this morning, Det Supt Alan Weekes, from West Yorkshire Police, says: "His behaviour can only be described as truly monstrous."

Speaking outside the court, Det Supt Weekes adds: "The lengthy sentence handed down to Osborne today is justice served and will protect the public from this dangerous individual."

It is is "hard to understand the behaviour of anyone who acted as Osborne did in bringing horror", he says.

"Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by his dreadful crimes."

In a statement on the steps of Leeds Crown Court, the family of Steven Harnett are critical of West Yorkshire Police.

Steven's twin brother, Jordan, says: "The police have failed Steven and Katie - a young couple that had their whole lives ahead of them."

"The core duty of the police is to prevent crime, so how was a man with a history of domestic violence allowed to walk freely from a police station just a couple of days prior to him murdering my brother and his girlfriend?" he asks.

"This sorry, pathetic excuse of a man couldn't contain his jealousy," Jordan tells those present, referring to Osborne.

"Now, my niece must grow up without a dad.

"For Steven and Katie, I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You deserved better."

On the steps outside Leeds Crown Court, we've heard from Jodie Sutton, who read out a statement on behalf of Steven Harnett's mother, Janine.

Image source, Oli Constable/BBC

She says Steven was a "bright young lad who made everyone laugh and smile all the time. He cared deeply for his friends and family and they did him".

"Steven loved spending time with his daughter and they had a very special bond. He just wanted the best for her," she adds.

"They were always laughing together and he was the apple of her eye and she his. He was a brilliant dad to his baby girl. He loved life."

In Steven's mum's statement, read outside the court, Janine adds: "The pain I feel is unbearable and indescribable. My heart remains shattered into 1,000 pieces and I cannot face standing here today.

"I cannot say the words out loud. The pain is too raw and the shock is too deep. I still cannot comprehend what has happened.

"More needs to be done to safeguard lives like Steven and Katie. This tragedy should never have happened. There were warning signs and the police were repeatedly told."

The murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett have left a "lasting mark on the community" in Huddersfield, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Speaking after Marcus Osborne was handed a whole-life prison sentence this morning at Leeds Crown Court for the killings, Pauline Mccullagh, from CPS Yorkshire & Humberside, said it was a "harrowing case".

"Fuelled by jealously after his abusive relationship with Katie Higton ended, Marcus Obsorne calmy planned and carried out two uniquely savage murders," she said.

"The sadistic way in which Katie and Steven Harnett were killed showed the depths of Osborne’s cruelty, and his subsequent boasts about the murders left no doubt that he felt any remorse.

"Obsorne denied his victims the smallest mercies in their final moments."

Ms Mccullagh added that Osborne's "unspeakable crime" had "forever changed the lives of two families".

"We continue to offer our deepest condolences as they grieve for the loved ones who were taken from them," she adds.

Giving a statement outside Leeds Crown Court, the family of Katie Higton have described her killer as a "monster".

After Marcus Osborne was handed a rare whole-life term for the murder of Katie and her partner Steven Harnett, they say Osborne was: "a man, if he can be called that, whose name does not deserve to even be mentioned within the same breath as hers".

"His sentencing today will not change the life sentence of loss he has inflicted upon us all. We want to thank all those who have supported us through such a horrific time.

"No family should have to endure what we have suffered, but the kind words have helped as we strive to remember the woman who was our world, and who touched the worlds of so many around her.

"We also wish to thank the investigation team at West Yorkshire Police who have supported our family through this unimaginable time and now ask that our privacy is respected."

The family of Katie Higton have just issued a statement describing the impact they have felt following her murder at the hands of Marcus Osborne.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

They say: "Katie was a shining, beautiful and deeply caring soul whose presence lit up any room from the moment she entered it.

"Her loss has left a huge, gaping hole in the lives of her family and friends. We all continue to suffer from having her so brutally taken from us.

"As a family, we will all miss her laughter, her fun and jokes and we will never again have the joy of loving messages from her at special times or of spending precious moments with her."

This is the moment Marcus Osborne was arrested by West Yorkshire Police officers for the murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett in Huddersfield on Monday 15 May 2023:

Osborne has today been given a rare whole-life prison term at Leeds Crown Court for their killings.

Passing sentence, the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, said Osborne's actions were "horrific".

This custody picture of Marcus Osborne - who has just been given a whole-life term for the murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett in Huddersfield - has now been issued by West Yorkshire Police:

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Whole-life tariffs are the most severe punishment available and are reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.

Image source, Jeff Overs/BBC

It effectively means they are unlikely to ever be released from prison.

They are so rare that fewer than 100 prisoners in the UK are actually subject to one.

Recent examples of offenders who are the subject of a whole-life tariff are killer nurse Lucy Letby, Wayne Couzens, the police officer who murdered Sarah Everard, and Thomas Mair, who murdered Batley and Spen Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.

The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, felt a whole-life order was the only appropriate sentence for Osborne.

Throughout the sentencing hearing, we heard how the murders were sexually motivated, after Katie Higton had ended her relationship with him.

When she then started a relationship with Steven Harnett, he became aggressive and threatening to them both.

"You were pathologically jealous of that relationship," she added.

A whole-life order is only ever imposed in the most serious of cases, with Mrs Justice Lambert clearly of the opinion this was one of those extreme cases.

Osborne has also been given a 10-year sentence for the false imprisonment of a woman at the house where the murders took place.

Meanwhile, he has been given an additional 10-year sentence for the woman's rape.

Those sentences are to run concurrently to the whole-life order imposed by Mrs Justice Lambert.

He will never be released from prison.

Speaking to the prosecuting barrister, Mrs Justice Lambert says she wants to "pay tribute to the dignity which Katie and Steven's family have dealt with this hearing".

There is shouting in the court as Osborne is taken down to the cells.

He will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Marcus Osborne has been handed a whole-life order for the murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett.

"I reach this conclusion fully aware that such a disposal is a rare one and reserved for only the most extreme cases," the court is told.

"What you did that night was horrific," Mrs Justice Lambert says.

Mrs Justice Lambert is explaining her reasoning behind her ruling, which we will hear soon.

She says the early guilty plea will be taken into account.

By pleading guilty, it meant a trial would not take place and witnesses or victims would not have to relive what happened that night.