Man who doused petrol over ex-girlfriend and set her on hearth in considered one of UK’s worst-ever home violence instances is jailed

A man who doused petrol over his ex-girlfriend and set her alight has now been jailed for murder.

Leigh Pateman was handed a life sentence today with a minimum term of 23 years and 145 days after pleading guilty to the charge of murder following the death of 42-year-old Ellen Marshall.  

This comes after he had initially received a 17 years and 10 month sentence forpouring the liquid over her as she sat in a chair before setting her alight at Firbeck Avenue, Skegness, during an argument in April 2021.

Pateman, 45, was handed the lower sentence in March 2022 after he admitted a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and it was initially hoped Ms Marshall would survive despite her horrific injuries. 

But the Crown Prosecution Service brought a murder charge against Pateman after Ms Marshall died aged 43 in Nottingham City Hospital on March 11, 2023 – nearly two years on from the attack.

Detective Inspector Andy McWatt said: ‘This was a truly shocking and barbaric attack. I cannot begin to imagine how much fear she must have felt, and how painful the rest of Ellen’s life was. Her family had to watch someone they love suffer from terrible injuries for almost two years. I hope that they can feel some measure of closure that her killer has been sentenced for that crime.’