Wife who beat husband to death is jailed for life
A WIFE who murdered her 45-year-old husband has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.
Maria Louise Hopes was convicted of the murder of Mark Hopes in July following a retrial after she tried to lay the blame for the killing on her son Leon Port.
Mother and son had each tried to blame one another for the brutal and sustained attack on Mr Hopes at the home he shared with his wife at Brithweunydd Road in Trealaw, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Maria Hopes, 46, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court yesterday.
She had also admitted a single count of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to 16 months in prison to be served concurrently.
The public gallery was filled with family members who wore red T-shirts with her husband’s name written on the front and the Liverpool FC logo on the back.
Mr Hopes, who married his wife in March 2011, was beaten to death in the living room of his home so violently that blood spattered up the wall.
Pieces of a vase, matching bloodstained pieces at the property, were found embedded in a wound in his head and in his ear.
A bloodied TV remote control was also found in pieces.
The court was previously told Mr Hopes spent the last 20 or so hours of his life with his stepson and wife on October 2 last year but at 7.49am the following morning he was pronounced dead.
He had suffered significant external and internal injuries to his head, face and body.
Both mother and son have now been convicted of murder, with 24-yearold Port last month jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years for his part in the killing.
In a statement read out during yesterday’s hearing by the prosecution on behalf of Mr Hopes’ sister, Yvonne Smith, the court heard the victim had a “heart of gold, loving his family, children and grandchildren very much”.
The statement said: “He was a hard worker and always provided for them as best he could.
“Although he was our big brother we were all protective of him as he was a big softie, a funny, playful person who teased us and made us laugh so much.
“It’s heartbreaking to know that he will never be there to make us smile and laugh again.”
The statement added how his mother, Ida, had been left devastated after her son’s death.
“Mark was just beginning to rebuild his life, trying to get back into work, spending more time with his children as they grew into adults.”
His sister Yvonne, who he walked down the aisle when she got married, said he would not get to see his grandchildren grow up or walk his daughters down the aisle.
Of the defendant, Mrs Smith said: “She thought only of herself and covering up her crime while Mark lay on the floor slow- ly dying.” Sentencing judge Mr Justice Knowles said: “Over a period of many hours from October 2 and into the morning of October 3 Mr Hopes suffered extensive injuries.
“These were inflicted by Mr Port and you. The injuries were to his face, to his lower back, and to other parts of his body.
“It was a sustained, nasty and brutal beating. At one point a vase was smashed on his head.
“As the attack continued and the mounting injuries took their toll Mr Hopes will have become increasingly defenceless.
“The photographs of his face show dreadful results. By 7am on October 3 you and Mr Port had killed him.
“Throughout Mr Hopes was at his and your home. Mr Port had started the assault before you returned home on the afternoon of October 2.
“But after you returned home you joined in the attack for a number of hours ahead. We will never know quite why it happened.
“A little way back in the past there had been some violence by him towards you but also by you towards him.
“He regularly drank to excess. But this was no case of an attack where one partner in a relationship snaps after years of abuse from the other.
“It was a miserable crime. It has caused profound loss to others.”
The judge referred to the case’s aggravating features prior to passing sentence.
He said: “I draw particular attention to the.following: the suffering caused to Mr Hopes before he died, the attempt to clean up the scene of the crime to avoid detection, the failure to summon medical help, and the fact that there were two attackers.”
He also noted that the defendant had two cautions for violence recorded against her.
Mr Justice Knowles added that the murder was not planned or premeditated and said he accepted the defendant didn’t intend to kill Mr Hopes in the lead-up to his death and said her involvement was of a shorter duration than Port’s.
“There is cogent professional expert evidence that you have quite marked intellectual disability.
“There is some material to suggest you suffer from long-standing depression,” he added.