Convicted double killer Lawrence Bierton found guilty of third murder

Pauline Quinn, 73, was found after paramedics were called to Rayton Spur in Worksop

A convicted double murderer has been found guilty of murdering his neighbour, who he battered to death with a coffee table while on licence.

Pauline Quinn, 73, was found dead at her Nottinghamshire home in November 2021 having suffered 29 separate injuries to her head and face.

Lawrence Bierton was jailed in 1996 for the murders of two elderly sisters.

He had denied Mrs Quinn's murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility but was convicted on Thursday.

At the time of Mrs Quinn's death, Bierton was on licence after being jailed for life for the two previous murders.

'Egregious and brutal'

Jurors were told about his previous offending and that he was first released on licence in 2017, but was recalled to prison in 2018 for "repeated failures to address his behaviour" and drug and alcohol misuse.

Nottingham Crown Court heard he was then released again on licence in May 2020 and moved to Rayton Spur in Worksop six months later.

The jury was told Mrs Quinn was beaten to death with the coffee table at her home in Rayton Spur, just after 16:00 GMT on 9 November 2021, after she refused to give him money for alcohol.

Bierton - an alcoholic - had drunk vodka and rum, and taken crack cocaine and an opioid on the morning of the murder.

He approached Mrs Quinn to ask her for money but was refused, which prompted the "egregious" and "brutal" murder.

John Cammegh KC said Bierton showed a "callous and chilling desire" to murder his neighbour as he was "hell-bent" on avoiding a recall to prison over his drug and alcohol misuse.

'Lost control'

After the attack, CCTV caught him driving in his victim's car and meeting a relative before returning to the scene and removing the remnants of the coffee table he used as a weapon in a carrier bag.

This was evidence that Bierton's actions were "calculated" and that he was thinking "strategically" at the time, Mr Cammegh said.

Mrs Quinn, who lived alone and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulled the emergency cord in her accommodation during the attack, which recorded audio of Bierton repeatedly striking her.

His defence barrister, Mark McKone KC, told jurors that Bierton's alcohol addiction would have caused withdrawal symptoms which would have caused him to lose self-control.

The jury took less than one hour to convict Bierton, 63, who will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Bierton was warned by the judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, a whole-life order was an option - meaning he would never be released from prison.

Additional reporting by PA Media.