THE MAN who battered a grandmother to death in her own home has been jailed for life.

Matthew Hamlen, 36, has today been put behind bars for the murder of Georgina Edmonds in 2008.

• Hamlen sentenced for murdering Georgina Edmonds - as it happened >>

He will spend a minimum of 30 years in jail, minus the 337 days he has already spent in custody.

Judge Justice Saunders said, "It was a murder which shocked the community in which Georgina Edmonds lived. She was 77 years of age at the time of her death. She was battered to death with a marble rolling pin in her own home by a complete stranger.

"I have no doubt that when he inflicted those blows, Matthew Hamlen  intended to kill Georgina Edmonds. I cannot be sure that he formed that intention before he entered Fig Tree Cottage but the attack inside the cottage was brutal and sustained.

"The evidence of the scientist who examined the blood stains was that one of the blows was struck as she lay prone on the floor.  In addition to striking the fatal blows with the marble rolling pin, he stabbed her a large number of times with a knife. The wounds caused by the knife were not deep  and they do not seem to have been inflicted with an intent to kill. Georgina Edmonds  had done nothing to hurt Matthew Hamlen, nothing to provoke such a  violent  attack. How Matthew Hamlen gained access to the house we do not know but his motive for going in was to steal. 

"This was a murder committed for gain. Mrs Edmonds’ handbag was stolen amongst other things and an attempt was made  to use her credit card on the night she died to obtain money. That attempt failed because the PIN number that was entered was the wrong one. Whether Mrs. Edmonds gave him the wrong PIN number or she refused to tell him or the Defendant mis-remembered it, we may never  know.

"The prosecution case was that the knife wounds were inflicted to make Mrs. Edmonds reveal the number and it is very difficult to think of any other sensible explanation for them. While  I cannot be sure on the evidence that the  use of the knife  comes within the literal meaning of sadistic conduct, it does amount, in my judgment,  to a serious  aggravating factor  of the offence .  

"There were a large number of knife wounds inflicted which caused a great deal of additional suffering to Mrs. Edmonds who was vulnerable due to her age and frailty. 

"There was a very extensive and very thorough  police investigation for over two years. Large numbers of people were interviewed; a number of possible suspects were investigated  and many experts were employed to look at different aspects of the case.

"The Defendant was arrested in June 2010; his first  trial started in late 2011 and he was acquitted in early 2012.

"The acquittal could not have come as a great surprise to any objective observer of the original trial in the light of the relative lack of evidence at that time.  
Despite the acquittal the case was not closed and in 2013 the police  conducted  a review of the scientific evidence and looked for DNA on exhibits which it had been thought were unlikely to provide a positive result. DNA evidence was recovered from a tape lift taken from the back of Mrs. Edmonds blouse. It revealed DNA which matched with the Defendant’s so that it was   very probable that it came from him.

"The Court of Appeal considered  the fresh evidence and decided that it met the tests set out in the 2003 Criminal Justice Act for ordering a re-trial.

"This jury considering the evidence  afresh including the new DNA evidence, have  convicted the Defendant of murder. 
This verdict, I hope, will bring some degree of closure for Mrs. Edmonds’ family who have waited a long time  to know for sure who killed  their much loved relative.  The consequences of this pointless loss of life have been, and will be substantial, for a number of people.

"The sentence that I have to pass on Matthew Hamlen is proscribed by law and is a sentence of life imprisonment. That is  the sentence that I will pass but I also have to determine the minimum period of time that Matthew Hamlen must serve until he can apply for and be considered for parole by the Parole Board.

"The minimum term is not the sentence that I pass, nor necessarily, the time that Matthew Hamlen will serve in prison.  It may be that he will not be released at the end of the minimum term or will ever be released. 
Parliament has laid down starting points for the minimum period to reflect the seriousness of the murder. It is agreed in this case that, within terms of the Act,  this murder is  exceptionally serious. The starting point for the minimum period is therefore 30 years. 

"As I have indicated there are aggravating features of the offence but there are also limited  mitigating features. They are, in my judgment  the  fact  that the Defendant has been through two trials but more importantly he has, on the evidence, lived a blameless life for the four years since his acquittal. The evidence was that he is a hard working family man who has been prepared to help others when they needed help.

"It may well be that he is a  different man now than he was in 2008.

"For those who may  think that the minimum term I am going to impose is too short, it should be remembered that Matthew Hamlen will qualify as  an old age pensioner by the time he is eligible for release.

"The sentence of the court is one of life imprisonment. Taking all the matters into account the minimum period will be 30 years. The time spent on remand before the first trial and the time on remand after his re-arrest should be calculated and count towards the minimum period."