Man who dismembered lady with a noticed gave cops a map to seek out her shallow grave

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Evil Karl Hutchings, 48, murdered Julie Buckley, 55, and dismembered her body with a saw before burying the pieces in a shallow grave in a field in Cambridgeshire

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A killer who butchered his victim’s body with a saw and buried the parts in a field has been handed a life sentence. Karl Hutchings, 48, provided police with a map indicating where he had buried 55-year-old Julie Buckley after discovering that a psychiatric report did not back a diminished responsibility defence.

Ms Buckley, who was also addicted to class A drugs like Hutchings, had been lodging at his home in the village of Christchurch in Cambridgeshire. She was last spotted alive at a Budgens supermarket in the nearby town of March on January 28 last year.

Hutchings initially denied murder but altered his plea to guilty on September 15 last year and supplied police with information about Ms Buckley’s body location. She was discovered in 10 pieces in a shallow grave in Wimblington following the murderer’s revelation, prosecutor Christine Agnew KC informed Cambridge Crown Court on Monday.

Returning to deliver his sentencing remarks on Thursday, judge Mark Bishop stated: “This was an eruption of violence in the context of drug use.”

He said, based on available evidence – including phone use, it is believed Ms Buckley was murdered between the afternoon of January 29 and the morning of January 30.

He mentioned that on January 30, Hutchings visited a One Stop shop in Manea and used Ms Buckley’s bank card to purchase food, alcohol and cleaning products.

He added that days later Hutchings told a female friend he “had some women’s clothing for sale”, which she bought.

The judge said Hutchings told her “if this friend wanted anyone killed you could kill them for her”.

The friend asked if Hutchings had done “anything stupid”, and he replied he could not say “until I’ve got rid of her and cleaned up”, the judge said.

Hutchings told the woman he had hit Ms Buckley “over the head with a hammer”, and said it was because she had not taken him to get drugs and had been taking drugs in front of him.

The judge said Hutchings conducted an “extensive clean-up operation”.

Saw blades containing hair identified as Ms Buckley’s were discovered in a drainage ditch, the judge said.

He said he was “sure that you delivered blows to the skull with a hammer where Ms Buckley had taken drugs but was conscious then hit her again and killed her”.

He branded the murder as “particularly brutal”.

The court heard Hutchings had withdrawn cash using Ms Buckley’s card, flogged her clothing, and on February 10 sold her car for £500.

However, the judge said: “I do not consider that the murder was done for this purpose.”

Allison Summers, mitigating for Hutchings, previously told the court he had a “long history of mental health problems and significant drug addiction”.

The judge acknowledged more than 2,000 police hours were devoted to the case, with officers conducting proof-of-life enquiries until her body was discovered.

Andrew Young, senior crown prosecutor, commented after the trial: “Despite Karl Hutchings’ initial claims that the evidence against him was laughable, he eventually changed his plea from not guilty to guilty and provided the police with a map leading to a shallow grave where he had crudely buried Julie Buckley.

“Our case strategy following the complex investigation relied on a number of experts including archaeologists, anthropologists and a pathologist – who were able to determine how Hutchings brutally killed Julie.

“We also used comprehensive forensic evidence gathered from the murder scene, direct accounts from those who had spoken to Hutchings and extensive ‘proof of life’ enquiries.

“I hope the outcome of these proceedings will bring some form of justice to Julie’s family and loved ones.”