Elizabeth Sweeney: Woman who beat Aberdeen man to death with kettle jailed for at least 18 years
A woman who used a kettle to beat a man to death during a violent attack has been jailed for at least 18 years.
Elizabeth Sweeney, 36, had denied murdering Neil Jolly, 49, at his flat in Aberdeen’s Marischal Court in June 2023.
Prosecutors said dad-of-three Mr Jolly had been repeatedly punched on the head and body, kicked on the head, and struck with a kettle, or unknown implement.
Judge Andrew Miller said the “prolonged and sustained assault” resulted in the victim suffering more than 70 blunt force injuries, including to his head, neck, torso, arms and hands.
Neil Jolly. Pic: Police Scotland
The judge told Sweeney: “You inflicted a severe and fatal brain injury and other head injuries which, according to the medical evidence given at your trial, were of a kind which might be expected to result from a high-impact road traffic collision or a fall from height, along with fractures to a rib and to a structure in his throat.”
The murder is believed to have occurred at the high-rise block of flats between the evening of Thursday 22 June 2023 and the early hours of the following morning.
Mr Jolly’s body was eventually discovered by officers on Monday 26 June 2023 after Sweeney herself raised the alarm.
The murder occurred within a flat in Marischal Court, Aberdeen
During the trial, jurors were shown CCTV of the killer out and about after the murder had reportedly taken place.
Judge Miller noted Sweeney had soaked Mr Jolly’s body with water and had attempted to clean blood from the bathroom and kettle.
The judge said: “During the intervening weekend you did nothing to seek help for Neil Jolly or to allow his body to be recovered.
“Instead, you appear to have spent that weekend in much the same way as you might have spent any other weekend, apparently giving little, if any, thought to Neil Jolly’s fate or your part in it.”
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Sweeney lodged a special defence of self-defence but was last month found guilty of murder following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Judge Miller noted the jurors rejected her claim that Mr Jolly had provoked her violent behaviour by allegedly sexually assaulting her while she was asleep.
Instead, jurors were said to be satisfied Sweeney showed prior malice and ill-will towards Mr Jolly by assaulting him on at least two occasions in the space of two weeks or so before his death.
The murder was also said to be aggravated by domestic abuse as the pair were said to be partners or ex-partners at the time of the incident.
Sweeney returned to the dock for sentencing on Monday, where she was handed a mandatory life sentence with at least 18 years behind bars.
The court heard of her lengthy past criminal record, which included convictions for crimes of disorder, dishonesty, assault, and being in possession of an offensive weapon.
Judge Miller noted the criminal justice social work report which highlighted Sweeney’s “difficult personal background” and longstanding drug addiction.
The judge added: “Although you maintain your general description, which the jury rejected, of how this incident began, the report states that you take full responsibility for Neil Jolly’s death and that you feel remorse for your actions.”
Statements written by Mr Jolly’s mother, son and sister were said to “powerfully express” how the family had suffered an “enormous loss”.
Following the court case, Detective Inspector William Murdoch said: “We acknowledge this sentence today and hope that this brings some comfort to the family and friends of Neil Jolly.”
The first known victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows has told Sky News he regrets not reporting his assault at the time to save others from “falling into the same trap”.
Burrows, 81, will learn his sentence at Chester Crown Court today after being convicted last month of dozens of sexual offences against young boys.
The judge told him it is “inevitable” he might never be released.
The former scout master had spent 27 years on the run, living in what he called “paradise” in Thailand, after stealing the identity of a friend and fleeing the UK when he was due in court in 1997.
A police photo of Burrows from the 1990s. Pic: Cheshire Police
He was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow in March last year.
The trial heard that Burrows had obtained positions of authority and systematically abused boys from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.
He had worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled boys and befriended other youngsters through amateur radio clubs.
One of those was his first victim, aged 14 at the time in the late 1960s, and now 71.
He told Sky News: “It’s been an awfully long time and after 57 years I’ve got to see the results at the end of it.
“It does actually feel like a weight’s been lifted. You hear that expression all through life, but it’s the first time ever really felt it.”
He described Burrows as a “devious, nasty creature”.
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The man, who cannot be identified as he is the victim of a sexual offence, attended Burrows’s trial and delivered a victim impact statement at his sentencing.
He said he wanted to do this because of the regret he carries to this day.
“I wish I’d said something when it happened because I feel that, in retrospect, if I would have said something, then maybe it would have stopped other people from falling into the same trap that I did,” he added.
“But at that time, at that age, I thought I probably wouldn’t have been believed, and I felt too ashamed and embarrassed and even guilty to even mention it to anybody else. So, I didn’t, and I regret not doing that.”
Photos of Burrows in Thailand. Pic: Cheshire Police
The man contacted police after seeing an appeal for help in finding the fugitive Burrows on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme in 2011. It would be another decade before he was arrested.
He said: “I really begrudge him those 27 years. It’s 27 years and he’s just left a trail of wreckage behind him while he’s enjoying himself.
“It’s a shame he’s not got another 27 years to look forward to in jail.”
Although he was the earliest victim on the indictment at Burrows’s trial, like detectives from Cheshire Police, he believes there could be other victims who have not come forward.
He said: “Personally, I don’t think I was the first victim. I think that he was probably fairly well practiced in the art of what he was doing prior to my meeting him.”
Burrows being met by police at Heathrow. Pic: Cheshire Police
Burrows was initially charged in May 1997 but failed to attend a hearing later that year.
He remained on the wanted list until police using facial recognition software matched him to a man using the name Peter Smith. He had stolen the identity of a terminally ill friend to obtain a passport.
After his conviction in March, judge Steven Everett told Burrows he had caused “untold distress and trauma to the victims and their families”.
The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.
RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.
The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.
The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.
All the aircraft returned safely.
John Healey. Pic: Reuters
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.
“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.
“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”
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Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’
Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.
“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.
“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
US intensifies strikes on Houthis
It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.
The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.
The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
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Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen
The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.
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