Couple given life for brutal killing of businessman

Emma Bate and Paramjit Singh stormed Richard Sherratt's apartment in Bridgnorth, taking his bank cards, watch and torturing him for his Pin number.

Bate will serve a minimum sentence of 25 years for his murder, while Singh was ordered to serve at least 18 years.

They were also given 10 years each to run concurrently for robbery.

Mr Sherratt, aged 57, who had lived in Kinver and Stourbridge, died within an hour of the robbery after suffering 38 injuries, including five blows to the head and puncture marks on his face and neck.

This afternoon at Stafford Crown Court, Judge Simon Tonking sentenced the pair together for the murder and robbery of Mr Sherratt.

Both Bate, aged 26, of Gladstone Street, Birmingham, and Singh, 33, of Willmore Road, Birmingham, showed no emotion as their fate was read out.

The sentencing followed a three-week- long trial for Bate, which resulted in the prostitute, formerly of Cannock, being found guilty of Mr Sherratt's murder.

She had already admitted to robbing him.

Singh had admitted to murdering and robbing Mr Sherratt. The trial heard how Bate had set up the robbery of Mr Sherratt, who was a former client of hers, to pay off a dealer she used for her crack-cocaine and heroin addiction.

She called on the help of Singh, also a heavy crack-cocaine user, and the pair broke into Mr Sherratt's apartment in Old School Mews in Bridgnorth on June 14 last year.

They then attacked him, torturing him for his bank card Pin numbers, before making off with his wallet and £10,000 watch.

Just over an hour after leaving their victim, Bate was seen on CCTV waving her hands in the air in a macabre victory salute after using one of his cards at a cashpoint next to Handsworth Post Office.

Michael Smith, aged 51, of Horton Street, Tipton, drove the killers to and from Mr Sherratt's home in Old School Mews.

He was found not guilty of robbery during the trial in January.