A harrowing {photograph} exhibits the gaunt face of a starved mother-of-two simply days earlier than she was battered to demise by her killers.
Shakira Spencer, 35, was discovered useless by police at her residence in Hanwell, west London, after a neighbour noticed maggots crawling from below her entrance door on September 25, 2022.
The trio of sadistic killers who saved Mr Spencer alive with sachets of ketchup as they enslaved, tortured and beat her to demise have been discovered responsible of homicide.
Footage exhibits the second the three killers – Ashana Studholme, 38, her boyfriend Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and pal Lisa Richardson, 44, have been arrested on suspicion of Ms Spencer’s homicide earlier than a 3 month trial into her demise. All three denied however have been convicted of homicide and stopping a lawful burial by an Previous Bailey dury at the moment.
Close to the top of August final yr Ms Spencer was stopped close to Studholeme’s flat by police, who have been frightened about her look and demeanor. However when she mentioned nothing officers let her return to the stunning abuse.
Ms Spencer had gone from being a ’stunning, glad, wholesome’ measurement 16 to a ’gaunt and skeletal’ measurement six shortly earlier than her demise, jurors heard. A disturbing picture exhibits her wanting gaunt and nearly unrecognisable in comparison with photographs of the mom throughout happier occasions – when she was described as a voluptuous measurement 16 weighing just below 12 stone.
Prosecutor Allison Hunter KC mentioned: ’In early 2021 Shakira Spencer had been a wholesome – even voluptuous – measurement 16 weighing some 74kgs (11st 9lb).
’By July 2022 Shakira Spencer was simply pores and skin and bone. Gaunt and skeletal, bruised from head to foot, with hollowed black eyes. She was barely a scrawny measurement six in pictures taken by the defendants simply earlier than she died.
A harrowing {photograph} exhibits the gaunt face of starved mother-of-two Shakira Spencer simply days earlier than she was battered to demise by her killers
Ms Spencer was a wholesome measurement 16 and was discovered useless in her flat in Hanwell, west London, after a neighbour raised the alarm
Ashana Studholme is seen being arrested at her residence for the homicide of Ms Spencer
Footage exhibits Lisa Richardson being arrested on suspicion of Ms Spencer’s homicide
Shaun Pendlebury is seen being arrested on suspicion of Ms Spencer’s homicide
’For no matter was their unfathomable, merciless, sadistic motive, these three defendants tormented, tortured, starved, burned and finally battered Shakira Spencer to demise.’
Studholme befriended Ms Spencer and slowly took over her life and funds whereas Pendlebury moved into her flat.
The abuse reached a ’frenzied climax’ on round September 11 and 12 final yr when Ms Spencer was crushed ’to the brink of demise’ at Studholme’s residence, the jury was informed.
She was bundled into the boot of Pendlebury’s borrowed Honda Civic automobile and pushed again to her flat, the place she was locked in a hallway cabinet, it was claimed.
Ms Hunter mentioned ice was packed round Ms Spencer in a primitive bid to sluggish decomposition.
Newspapers have been fastidiously laid on the ground subsequent to the mattress as if Ms Spencer had been studying and died in her sleep, jurors heard.
An alternate plan to eliminate the physique in a caravan was deserted as a result of the defendants couldn’t danger transferring her because of the state of decomposition, it was recommended.
As a part of the cover-up, the defendants cleaned the sufferer’s blood, bodily fluids and DNA from their properties and eliminated all traces of their presence from Ms Spencer’s flat.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, from Scotland Yard, mentioned Ms Spencer was murdered in ’essentially the most savage and inhumane manner possible’.
He mentioned: ’Shakira was a gorgeous, glad mom who was form and had a trusting nature.
Ms Spencer (pictured) had been fed simply sachets of ketchup as she was enslaved, tortured and shrunk to ’pores and skin and bone’, the Previous Bailey has heard
Footage exhibits Ms Spencer strolling on Greenhill Highway on September 10, 2022, days earlier than her demise
Shaun Pendlebury’s mugshot for the Shakira Spencer trial
Lisa Richardson’s mugshot after she was discovered responsible of homicide
Ashana Studholme was additionally discovered guilt of homicide
Ms Spencer was discovered useless in her flat in Hanwell, west London, after a neighbour raised the alarm
Ms Spencer had gone from being a ’stunning, glad, wholesome’ measurement 16 to a ’gaunt and skeletal’ measurement six shortly earlier than her demise, jurors heard
’Shakira could possibly be susceptible and these defendants took benefit of that by controlling and isolating her from everybody she knew so as to management and enslave her in essentially the most dehumanising and degrading manner.’
Mr Howie added: ’No matter their merciless and sadistic motives have been, there isn’t a acceptable clarification for what Shakira was put via.
’This was a fancy and difficult investigation. A meticulous timeline was created to tug collectively the completely different strands of proof, paralleled towards one another, so as to show the defendants’ marketing campaign of controlling behaviour and violence.
’This included the retrieval and viewing of 1000’s of hours of CCTV, in depth forensic examinations, pathology, witness accounts, looking of homes and autos and reviewing the defendants’ telephones.
’That examination revealed what Shakira had been subjected to, with footage, messages and voice notes recorded by the defendants themselves that will show key.’
Footage exhibits the three killers being arrested, with each ladies receiving knocks on their entrance doorways by police earlier than they have been handcuffed.
Ms Spencer was pressured to sleep below newspapers within the hallway at Studholme’s residence.
The killers handled her as her slave and loved torturing her with a makeshift blowtorch and boiling water poured on her from a kettle.
Once they had uninterested in their sadism, they bundled her into the boot of a automobile and drove her again to her flat at Lambert Home, Holbeck Row, the place Ms Spencer was locked in a cabinet whereas they waited for her to die.
Ashana Studholme was discovered responsible of Ms Spencer’s homicide
They then moved her to a bunk mattress the place the physique was left rotting for 2 weeks.
Prosecutor Allison Hunter, KC, mentioned earlier: ’Over the months main as much as her homicide the defendants, primarily Studholme and Richardson subdued and dominated Shakira so completely that she was below all of their full management.
’She was remoted from everybody she had beforehand recognized, her freewill seemingly sapped and stolen from her.
’They stole her self-respect, her funds, took over her flat, handled her like a slave, ordering her get up within the early hours of the morning to scrub their homes, sending her to the outlets to do their errands, feeding her solely on sachets of ketchup after which in circumstances of unbelievable depravity, boasted about and once in a while photographed and filmed what they did and have been aspiring to do to her.
’This was the sluggish erosion of a human being over many months culminating in what the Crown says was a sustained, frenzied and nearly feral assault over a number of days – scalding her, blowtorching her, hitting her head, whipping her with belts and hitting with fists and a glass bottle.
’When that did not kill her outright she was bundled right into a boot, taken to her personal flat and locked in a cabinet and denied even meals or water till she died.
’She was then left to rot in a mattress as they tried to mop up something exhibiting their involvement.
’Shakira Spencer was clearly perceived by these defendants as a species lower than human.’
Jurors had deliberated for almost 18 hours to achieve verdicts and have been excused by the choose from jury service for all times because of the ’harrowing nature’ of the case.
Ashana Studholme, 38, her boyfriend Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and pal Lisa Richardson, 44, all denied however have been convicted of homicide and stopping a lawful burial by an Previous Bailey jury at the moment after a 3 month trial (pictured: Hanwell)
Shaun Pendlebury, 26, Ashana Studholme, 38, and pal Lisa Richardson, 44, all denied however have been convicted of homicide
Lisa Richardson denied however was convicted of of the homicide of Ms Spencer
Devi Kharran, senior Crown prosecutor, mentioned: ’Proof offered through the trial proved that Pendlebury, Studholme and Richardson exercised twisted and sadistic management of Shakira Spencer over an prolonged interval.
They spun an online of lies in each effort to cover their actions. ’The CPS constructed a powerful case towards them utilizing video footage filmed by the defendants themselves, cell phone proof, forensic evaluation, and a confession from Shaun Pendlebury himself to show past doubt that they have been answerable for her demise.
’The extent of struggling that Shakira endured is just unimaginable. Our ideas stay with all of Shakira’s household and pals. I hope this conviction brings them some sense of justice.’
Studholme beat Ms Spencer across the head with a bottle within the bed room leaving blood splattered on the partitions.
She texted Richardson and mentioned ’I’ve buss her head in. I want you right here, I’ll go to jail.’
Pendlebury then chased her with a ’blowtorch’ product of a lighter and aerosol earlier than the killers beat her within the kitchen and poured boiling water on her toes.
Within the night of 12 September the sufferer was bundled into the boot of a purple Honda Civic motorcar borrowed by Pendlebury from his aunt.
The couple purchased kebabs and and have been captured laughing joking as they returned to Studholme’s residence.
They then started an intensive clean-up operation at Studholme’s home, shopping for supplies with cash from Ms Spencer’s financial institution accounts.
By the point Ms Spencer was killed, Studholme was ’in receipt of all of her advantages and had management of all of her funds’.
Studholme was caught with Ms Spencer’s private documentation together with financial institution accounts, incapacity allowance purposes and Nationwide Belief fund paperwork.
Richardson mentioned she noticed the assaults on Ms Spencer by Pendlebury and Studholme however was not concerned.
She despatched a sequence of messages mocking and abusing Shakira.
Jurors have been informed on 14 July, that she despatched a message to Carla Gilmaney saying: ’I’ve simply f*ck this b*tch up this b*tch…she ant going no we’re xx iamvgoing smash hur up nah joke.’
She despatched one other message saying she was going to ’mash up’ Ms Spencer.
Richardson denied that she was controlling Ms Spencer and forcing her to scrub her home.
She mentioned she didn’t know the way badly Ms Spencer was injured as a result of when she requested her one thing she ’may solely say bub, bub, bub.’
Law enforcement officials have been known as to the house of Ms Spencer in Hanwell, west London after a neighbour noticed maggots crawling from below her entrance door on 25 September 2022
Pendlebury claimed he did not intervene when Studholme beat Ms Spencer to demise as a result of it ’wasn’t his home’.
’It is not my place to do something, it is not my home,’ he informed the jury.
He mentioned that on 11 September he went into the kitchen and noticed Studholme slapping Ms Spencer ’dragging her, pulling her round and pushing her up towards the cabinet door.
’I noticed Lisa dragging Shakira about and I believe she kicked and stamped on her a few occasions.’
He mentioned: ’I did not get entangled I simply went about my enterprise. I did not don’t have any half. It had obtained to some extent the place seeing this simply felt regular.
’It was simply one other day, sadly. This occurred each day with them.’
He mentioned he did not name an ambulance as a result of Ms Spencer was ’a complete grownup who is aware of her physique.’
He then went to his uncle’s home and confessed to abusing Ms Spencer and requested him if he may get him a ticket to the Seychelles the place his grandmother lived.
His uncle later contacted the police.
Pendlebury mentioned Studholme has an overbearing character and he felt dominated by her, and that he has a low IQ, nervousness and a ’extremely compliant nature.’
Shaun Pendlebury’s mom Michelle mentioned Studholme managed her son and Richardson.
She mentioned on one event Studholme had made her hit Ms Spencer herself.
She informed police: ’She’ll make you hit her too. She will get you riled up and you do not even know why you are simply labored up.
’She desires you below her toes each 24 hours of a day. I felt like I used to be there each single day.
’I used to be at hers each single day, it was ’Michelle, are you able to do that, do this..’
’Even with companions she handled them like canines.
’In the event you do not do what she says she’ll hit you mate, she kicks, she would not care.’
Studholme didn’t give proof at trial however beforehand served time in custody for punching and kicking a lady within the again.
The prosecutor informed the court docket: ’They stole her residence…took over her funds, managed her whereabouts, destroyed her garments, reduce off most of her hair and so they beat her.
’They scorched her, burnt her, beat her with a massager, left her to urinate herself after which they bundled her into the boot of a automobile, shoved her battered and bruised into a cabinet and left her to die.
’They’re responsible of homicide, and it truly is homicide of essentially the most foul.
’They’re responsible of denying a good burial and I hope you don’t lose one second of sleep for those who do discover them so.’
Pendlebury, of Tewkesbury Highway, Richardson, of Broomcroft Avenue, each Ealing, and Studholme, of Greenhill Highway, Harrow, all denied however have been convicted of homicide and stopping a lawful burial.
Choose Angela Rafferty KC ordered reviews and remanded the three in custody forward of sentencing within the new yr.