A tenant who looked after his elderly landlady has been jailed for life. He confessed to have dismembered and hidden her remains in a storage unit.
Scott Paterson, aged 45, had lived as a tenant in Annette Smith’s home for several years and cared for her while she was recovering from a stroke.
Paterson admitted killing Ms Smith, according to a video released by police, and said he ‘suffocated’ her in the bed with a pillow. He claimed the demands of her care caused him to ‘snap’ at the home in Fairfield, Stotfold, Bedfordshire.
He suffocated the 74-year-old on November 8 last year, before dismembering her body and hiding the remains at a storage unit in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Ms Smith was last seen in November 2023. Paterson had initially lied to detectives and said Ms Smith had left their home to stay with a friend on her own accord. Instead, he stole Ms Smith’s jewellery and sold it online for more than £5,000.
(Image: Bedfordshire Police / SWNS)
The court heard Ms Smith and Paterson had become friends and she had invited him to lodge in her spare room rent-free, in exchange for company and running errands.
They had also gone on holiday together. After she had a stroke, her mobility was affected and Paterson acted as her carer, collecting medicine and washing her.
After killing her, Paterson had posed as Ms Smith and sent Christmas messages, gifts and cards to family and friends in an attempt to further cover his tracks and pretend she was still alive.
Family members began to suspect something was wrong and on 10 January her ex-husband Peter Smith reported her missing. An investigation was launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Major Crime Unit in April.
Detectives discovered no money had left her bank account and that her passport and clothing were still at the home, along with her laptop.
Paterson admitted killing Annette and said he ‘suffocated her in the bed with a pillow’. The court heard he told detectives ‘in hindsight’ there were better ways to ‘get out of the situation’.
The court heard that on 14 November 2023, an estate agent visited the house, but did not spot remains hidden in a cupboard under the stairs. The killer put her body in a suitcase and took it a storage unit.
(Image: Bedfordshire Police / SWNS)
Paterson, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a minimum term of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Judge Justice Murray said Paterson had told “an elaborate lie” to Ms Smith’s friends and family to try to cover up his crime.
She said: “You told her friends and family an elaborate lie. Because of your lies, the police concluded there was not evidence at that time to say she was genuinely missing.”
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Dounias, who led the investigation, said: “While in a position of trust, Paterson cruelly took advantage of Annette’s vulnerabilities which culminated in him not only ending her life, but taking abhorrent and deceptive steps to conceal his crimes.
“This was compounded by his efforts to make a financial gain by selling Annette’s belongings. There is nothing that will ease the impact this will have had on those that knew Annette, but the hope is that today’s sentencing provides some solace to her family and friends and puts an end to what has no doubt been a horrific ordeal for her loved ones.”
A tribute put together by Annette’s family read: “We are totally heartbroken and devastated that Annette has been taken away from us in such a cruel and senseless way. She was a beautiful, caring, trusting and generous lady, who meant so much to so many people.
“Annette, rest in peace with those who will love and take care of you.”
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