GP MURDER: Judge brands killer a coward

A VENGEFUL husband who murdered and buried his wife's GP lover was branded “cowardly” by a judge as he jailed him for life.

Dr Colin Shawcross (58), was bludgeoned to death with a pickaxe handle by Andrew Hill after his wife Julie told him she was leaving him for the married GP.

Telecomms engineer Hill (49), bundled the doctor's body into the doctor’s burgundy S-type Jaguar and drove to remote woodland where he buried the victim in a five-foot deep grave.

The body of Dr Shawcross, a GP for 30 years, was so well hidden it was not found until five months later.

Jailing Hill for life with a minimum term of 17 years, Mr Justice Wilkie told him he had reacted in a "devious, vengeful, cowardly and unmanly" way after his wife told him their marriage was over.

A tearful Hill clung to the security glass in front of the dock at Sheffield Crown Court flanked by two prison officers and looked stunned at the jury's guilty verdict.

When the judge described his defence as "utter fabrication" Hill shouted out: "It wasn't sir."

Before sentencing, Dr Shawcross' estranged wife Carol, also a GP, personally read a moving statement in court about the effect of the murder on herself and her three sons James (30), Edward (27), and Richard (25).

She said since her husband's "violent premature death" it had been a "traumatic and difficult" time for the family.

Robbed

She said: "It has brought indescribable distress and misery which has been compounded by the concealment of his body.

"For five months we lived with our grief but were unable to mourn properly.

“Until his remains were found our lives were sad and our thoughts negative which adversely impacted on our professional, social and family life."

"Although we were temporarily separated we had discussed his return to the family home and I feel that given time we would have been reunited.

"His murder has robbed me of the companionship, contentment and security that Colin and I had planned in retirement."

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Hill splashed out £1,400 on new carpets and redecorated his home in a bid to keep Julie, a 47-year-old nurse.

He planned to buy a personalised number plate "JUE" for his wife and buy her a luxury sports car as well as spending more time with her.

Hill could not bear to live without his wife after 15 years of marriage and obtained the doctor's mobile number and rang him.

He told the court: "I wanted to know why he had to have my wife. I wanted her back. I implored him to leave her alone. I wanted him to go back to his wife."