The judge presiding over the murder trial of Yvonne Caylor has spoken of how he couldn’t detect ‘any sign of remorse’ after she was found guilty of killing her half-sister in Letchworth.
The 53-year-old – of Grove Road in Hitchin – was this morning handed a life sentence and must serve a minimum of 20 years for murdering her half-sister Nicola Collingbourne, who Caylor struck over the head with a chicken-shaped casserole pot on May 23 while disguising herself as a man.
Caylor was found guilty on Monday after a unanimous verdict from the jury, who had heard from the prosecutor that she had carried out the murder after being charged with burgling Nicki’s Ivel Court flat in October last year and perverting the course of justice.
With a trial imminent and Nicki due to give evidence against her, prosecutor John Price QC said she had taken her matters into her own hands and killed her half-sister with a chicken-shaped cooking pot.
Judge Michael Kay QC said, despite overwhelming evidence, she lied about the burglary and perverting the course of justice.
He told Caylor: “I could not detect any sign of remorse for what you did or for the death of Nicki Collingbourne. It was chilling to hear you speak of Nicki without a speck of emotion.
“The only emotion you displayed was when you talked about your incarceration.”
“You are a violent, dishonest and deceitful person and ultimately a selfish, heartless killer.”
Detailing the case, he said: “You went to the flat in a relatively crude disguise. At first glance you were dressed as a man. You utilised some sort of padding to disguise the shape of your body.
“You had sustained a serious back injury in 2012 and walked with a stick. You did not have a stick that day. You were doing your best to appear you could walk normally.
“Only you know precisely what happened when the door was shut for the final time.
“At some point you picked up a ceramic chicken pot and brought it down on her head, causing her to fall to the floor. You then smothered Nicki Collingbourne which accounts for injuries around her mouth and attempted to make it look as if Nicki Collingbourne had committed suicide.”
Defence barrister Graham Trembath QC said: “She is going to effectively spend the rest of her life behind bars.”
As Caylor was led down to the cells, she smiled and muttered something to the family in the public gallery.
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