Police missed final probability to avoid wasting Shakira earlier than she was killed

A harrowing {photograph} exhibits the gaunt face of a starved mother-of-two simply days earlier than she was battered to loss of life by her killers. 

Shakira Spencer, 35, was discovered lifeless by police at her residence in Hanwell, west London, after a neighbour noticed maggots crawling from beneath her entrance door on September 25, 2022.

The trio of sadistic killers who stored Mr Spencer alive with sachets of ketchup as they enslaved, tortured and beat her to loss of life have been discovered responsible of homicide.

Footage exhibits the second the three killers – Ashana Studholme, 38, her boyfriend Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and good friend Lisa Richardson, 44, had been arrested on suspicion of Ms Spencer’s homicide earlier than a 3 month trial into her loss of life. All three denied however had been convicted of homicide and stopping a lawful burial by an Old Bailey dury immediately. 

Near the tip of August final 12 months Ms Spencer was stopped close to Studholeme’s flat by police, who had been fearful about her look and demeanor. But when she mentioned nothing officers let her return to the surprising abuse. 

Ms Spencer had gone from being a ‘stunning, pleased, wholesome’ dimension 16 to a ‘gaunt and skeletal’ dimension six shortly earlier than her loss of life, jurors heard. A disturbing picture exhibits her wanting gaunt and virtually unrecognisable in comparison with pictures of the mom throughout happier instances – when she was described as a voluptuous dimension 16 weighing just below 12 stone. 

Prosecutor Allison Hunter KC mentioned: ‘In early 2021 Shakira Spencer had been a wholesome – even voluptuous – dimension 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 dimension six in photographs taken by the defendants simply earlier than she died. 

‘For no matter was their unfathomable, merciless, sadistic motive, these three defendants tormented, tortured, starved, burned and ultimately battered Shakira Spencer to loss of life.’

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 12 months when Ms Spencer was crushed ‘to the brink of loss of life’ at Studholme’s residence, the jury was informed.

She was bundled into the boot of Pendlebury’s borrowed Honda Civic automotive 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 gradual decomposition.

Newspapers had been rigorously laid on the ground subsequent to the mattress as if Ms Spencer had been studying and died in her sleep, jurors heard.

An different plan to eliminate the physique in a caravan was deserted as a result of the defendants couldn’t danger shifting her because of the state of decomposition, it was steered.

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 ‘probably the most savage and inhumane approach conceivable’.

He mentioned: ‘Shakira was a fantastic, pleased mom who was type and had a trusting nature.

‘Shakira might be susceptible and these defendants took benefit of that by controlling and isolating her from everybody she knew with the intention to management and enslave her in probably the most dehumanising and degrading approach.’

Mr Howie added: ‘Whatever their merciless and sadistic motives had been, there isn’t any acceptable rationalization for what Shakira was put by means of.

‘This was a fancy and difficult investigation. A meticulous timeline was created to drag collectively the totally different strands of proof, paralleled in opposition to one another, with the intention 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 may show key.’

Footage exhibits the three killers being arrested, with each girls receiving knocks on their entrance doorways by police earlier than they had been handcuffed. 

Ms Spencer was compelled to sleep beneath 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.

When they’d uninterested in their sadism, they bundled her into the boot of a automotive and drove her again to her flat at Lambert House, Holbeck Row, the place Ms Spencer was locked in a cabinet whereas they waited for her to die.

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 beneath 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 retailers to do their errands, feeding her solely on sachets of ketchup after which in circumstances of unbelievable depravity, boasted about and occasionally photographed and filmed what they did and had been desiring to do to her.

‘This was the gradual erosion of a human being over many months culminating in what the Crown says was a sustained, frenzied and virtually 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 had been excused by the decide from jury service for all times because of the ‘harrowing nature’ of the case. 

Devi Kharran, senior Crown prosecutor, mentioned: ‘Evidence 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 internet of lies in each effort to cover their actions. ‘The CPS constructed a robust case in opposition to 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 had been answerable for her loss of life. 

‘The stage 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 would like you right here, I’ll go to jail.’

Pendlebury then chased her with a ‘blowtorch’ fabricated from a lighter and aerosol earlier than the killers beat her within the kitchen and poured boiling water on her ft.

In the night of 12 September the sufferer was bundled into the boot of a crimson Honda Civic motorcar borrowed by Pendlebury from his aunt.

The couple purchased kebabs and and had 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 time 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 Trust 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 had 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 understand how badly Ms Spencer was injured as a result of when she requested her one thing she ‘may solely say bub, bub, bub.’

Pendlebury claimed he did not intervene when Studholme beat Ms Spencer to loss of life as a result of it ‘wasn’t his home’.

‘It’s not my place to do something, it isn’t 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 in opposition to the cabinet door.

‘I noticed Lisa dragging Shakira about and I believe she kicked and stamped on her a few instances.’

He mentioned: ‘I did not become involved I simply went about my enterprise. I did not haven’t any half. It had bought 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 ‘an entire 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, anxiousness 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 needs you beneath her ft 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, try this..’

‘Even with companions she handled them like canine.

‘If 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 courtroom: ‘They stole her residence…took over her funds, managed her whereabouts, destroyed her garments, minimize off most of her hair they usually 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 automotive, shoved her battered and bruised into a cabinet and left her to die.

‘They are responsible of homicide, and it truly is homicide of probably the most foul.

‘They are responsible of denying a good burial and I hope you don’t lose one second of sleep in the event you do discover them so.’

Pendlebury, of Tewkesbury Road, Richardson, of Broomcroft Avenue, each Ealing, and Studholme, of Greenhill Road, Harrow, all denied however had been convicted of homicide and stopping a lawful burial.

Judge Angela Rafferty KC ordered reviews and remanded the three in custody forward of sentencing within the new 12 months.