Mathew Pickering jailed for life for Georgina Dowey murder

Mathew Pickering initially denied murdering Georgina Dowey, but admitted to manslaughter

A man who murdered his on-off girlfriend has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 17-and-a-half years.

Georgina Dowey was found beaten and strangled to death in a house in Neath Port Talbot.

Mathew Pickering, 49, was found guilty by a jury at Swansea Crown Court of murdering 46-year-old Ms Dowey.

He had previously admitted manslaughter, but denied murdering his partner on 7 May.

The trial heard that Ms Dowey's body was found almost a day after her death, at an address in Beaconsfield Street, Cadoxton, with a black bag over her head and 32 separate injuries.

Both Pickering and Ms Dowey had alcohol and drug problems.

Prosecutor Michael Jones KC told the jury that Ms Dowey had, in previous relationships, been a victim of domestic violence.

Her lifestyle was sometimes chaotic, he said, which made her "even more vulnerable".

The jury was shown CCTV from a nearby shop which showed Pickering leaving his house after murdering Ms Dowey to buy cherry cola, cat treats, cigarette papers and bleach.

His defence statement said the bleach was to clean the blood-stained floor.

Pickering claimed there had been an altercation between the two, which ended with Ms Dowey strangled on the downstairs bathroom floor.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Dowey had suffered 32 separate injuries, including bruising and swelling to her face.

The court heard her body was found after Pickering's father had called 999, concerned for his son's mental health but not knowing what had happened.

When Pickering was arrested, he was heard on police bodycam footage saying that he was "defending" himself, and that Ms Dowey had been "nothing but trouble".

Georgina Dowey was strangled and left in a bathroom with a bag over her head for almost a day

Before Pickering was sentenced, the court heard a victim impact statement from Ms Dowey's daughter, Chelsea.

Describing the "heartbreak you have caused to myself, my children and my family", she said Pickering had taken her mother's life "in the most horrific and undignified way imaginable".

"I will never forgive you for what you've done to my mum, and for destroying our lives," she said.

She added that the sentence would give the family "closure", and "give my mum the justice she deserves".

Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC said Pickering had "brutally murdered a very vulnerable woman in her 40s, with whom you were in a relationship".

"You did so firstly by inflicting various facial and other injuries on her... you then strangled her to death.

"It must have been a terrifying way for her to die, and she would have suffered not just physically but psychologically."

Georgina Dowey's body was found on Beaconsfield Street in Cadoxton

He added that Pickering had "calmly and methodically" tried to cover up what he had done, by throwing away a mobile phone and trying to wash away evidence.

After being arrested, the judge said Pickering had concocted "an entirely false claim that she had attacked you with a knife".

The reality, he said, was that Pickering "killed her in a jealous rage, because you discovered messages from another man on her phone".

He added that Pickering had acted with "cold, callous self-interest" throughout, and was "impassive" while listening to the victim impact statement read out in court.

Sentencing him to life in prison with a minimum of 17-and-a-half years, Judge Thomas noted that Pickering would not be eligible to be considered for release until 2040, by which time he would be in his late 60s.

'Cover up'

Following the sentencing, both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and South Wales Police noted how far Pickering had gone to "cover up his crime".

Detective Inspector David Butt of South Wales Police said Pickering had spent "approximately 40 hours covering his tracks while Georgina's body lay on the floor of his downstairs toilet".

"He also got rid of key evidence by placing items in bins in the local area, including items that were found in a dog waste bin," added Det Ins Butt.

Nia Sturgess of the CPS said: "CCTV and phone evidence revealed the lengths he went to in an attempt to cover up his crime."

She added the CPS took domestic abuse extremely seriously and their "thoughts remain with Georgina's family and friends".