Dad in Poppy Day firework attack jailed
Hammer kill burglar jailed for life
THREATENING Potts
A MAN who let off fireworks at a Remembrance Sunday service has been jailed for 16 weeks.
Stuart Potts, 38, triggered a war veteran’s PTSD by detonating two fireworks during a parade attended by 300 people in Eccles, Salford.
Potts, a father of four from Salford, admitted throwing fireworks in a public place and using threatening behaviour.
At Manchester magistrates court, prosecutor Beth Pilling said the first firework sounded like “gun shots” and the second was a rocket “let off about 15 feet above the crowds”.
A veteran said his PTSD had been aggravated, and in sentencing, district judge Mark Hadfield said: “Many others like him would have been shocked.” once, he might do it again. Claudia, who is in her 20s, said she now fears her ex has friends who will “avenge” him.
Sabou brutally attacked Valerie in Bosham, West Sussex, on the night of December 30, 2013, just five days after her 55th birthday on Christmas Day.
He showed no emotion at Lewes crown court as he was sentenced to life, with a minimum 24 years behind bars, minus time spent on remand.
Judge Christine Laing QC described the murder as a “savage attack” with multiple repeated blows. She said Valerie’s injuries “were similar to those seen in a high speed head-on car crash”.
She added: “I am quite satisfied this was a sustained attack and the terror and trauma for her in the final few moments of her life are unimaginable.
“Were it not for the decency and courage of your wife, this murder would have remained unsolved.”
Valerie was housesitting with her sister, Janet, 60, their mum Eileen, 87, and her sister’s architect partner, Nigel Acres, 59, when she was killed.
The case sparked one of the biggest voluntary mass DNA screenings in British criminal history after a match to the killer was made at the scene.
Valerie’s son Tim Wood told how she had moved from Scotland not long before to be closer to her family. They had been excited to spend Christmas and Valerie’s birthday together.
“She was a free spirit who enjoyed her life and was a talented artist,” he said.
“She had lived in Scotland for 10 years, a place she loved and which inspired her passion for art. This has been devastating for the family and has come as a complete shock.”
In a statement, her family said she was “very much loved and sorely missed by all of us. She was kind and caring”.
They told Sabou: “You took away our mum, who was also a sister, daughter, gran and friend to many – a life of someone who can never be replaced.
“Sadly, Val’s mother passed away never knowing justice has been served.”