Detective's hope over jail term for murderer William Spence
A detective who led the police investigation into the murder of a man in Dudley says he hopes the life sentence given to the killer will bring comfort to the family.
William Spence was told he will spend a minimum of 17 years in jail by a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court after being found guilty of the murder, which was witnessed by his victim's 75-year-old mother.
Spence, aged 39, launched a fatal hammer attack on Kevin Jones, 47, during an argument over drugs at the house they shared in Buxton Road, Dudley.
Mr Jones' mother, Jean Jones, saw the attack and tried to stop Spence by lying over her unconscious son at the bottom of the stairs before she passed out.
Spence was also found guilty of causing actual bodily harm to Mrs Jones, who suffered injury to her ankle from the blows.
Det Sgt Harry May led the murder investigation and was at court when Spence was sentenced yesterday.
Hammer
Speaking afterwards he said: "Kevin's mother, Jean, endured the horror of returning home to find her son being attacked with a hammer and in an effort to protect her son she lay on his injured body but the assault continued and Jean sustained an injury to her ankle. There was nothing she could do to save Kevin and she lay there and saw her son slip away in her arms, an ordeal which no parent should ever have to go through.
"Spence has shown no remorse to his once loyal friend since that day and he has put Jean through the ordeal of this trial.
"My thoughts go out to Jean and her family, hoping that they can take some comfort that justice has been done here today and start to rebuild their lives."
Mrs Jones also gave evidence at the trial.
She said she heard the pair argue and then her son fall to the bottom of the stairs before witnessing the attack in November last year.
