Mark Hobson

Background

Mark Hobson was a British spree killer who killed his girlfriend and her twin sister in 2004 and later killed an elderly couple who lived nearby. Hobson was 34 at the time of the murders. He was a former binman from Selby, North Yorkshire.

Hobson’s girlfriend was Claire Sanderson, aged 27. Claire Sanderson had a twin sister, Diane.

Hobson later admitted four charges of murder.

The offence

Hobson killed his girlfriend Claire Sanderson and her twin sister Diane at a flat in the nearby village of Camblesforth. Claire Sanderson’s battered body was wrapped in a bin bag, and a plastic bag was placed over Diane’s head. The judge said Hobson battered Claire with a hammer, placed a plastic bag over her head after she was killed, and wrapped her body in a bin bag.

The judge also stated that Hobson determined to lure Diane to his home to kill her there and then, to use her for his own sexual gratification before killing her. The judge said Hobson succeeded in luring Diane to his home and that Diane suffered terror and pain as well as sexual harm before she died.

Hobson subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of Strensall, a few miles north of York.

Investigation

The twins’ mutilated bodies were discovered by Diane’s boyfriend on 18 July 2004.

The bodies of James Britton and Joan Britton were found dead by neighbours on the same day as the twins’ bodies were discovered, 25 miles away in the village of Strensall. James Britton was described as an 80-year-old former Spitfire pilot, and Joan Britton was described as an 82-year-old wife.

Det Supt Javad Ali, who led the hunt for Hobson, said:

"No-one who has heard the detail of these horrific crimes can be surprised at the severity of today's sentence. " "I believe it is totally right and fitting that Mark Hobson is never released from prison. " "For me, today brings about a conclusion to the most horrendous case I have had to deal with in my 22 years' police service. " "But for the families and loved ones the victims have left behind, today does not bring about closure. " "My thoughts are with them and I can only hope they gain some comfort from the sentence."

Arrest

Hobson was arrested at a petrol station on 25 July 2004, in the village of Shipton-by-Beningbrough, near York, following a nationwide manhunt.

Trial

At his trial in April 2005, Hobson admitted all four murders.

At Leeds Crown Court, Mr Justice Grigson imposed a life sentence with a whole-life tariff on Hobson. Mr Justice Grigson said:

"The enormity of what you have done is beyond words."

As the sentence was read out, Jacqueline Sanderson, the twins’ mother, stood up in the public gallery and shouted:

"Rot in hell"

After the trial, Jacqueline Sanderson and her husband George issued a statement that asked:

"How could anyone be such an animal?" They added: "Claire and Diane did not deserve to die such horrid deaths, both ending up naked, with a plastic bag over Diane's head and Claire inside a black bag."

The court was also told that Hobson stabbed a love rival five times in the chest in a daylight attack in front of shoppers in Selby in 2002, leaving him with a punctured lung. Hobson had admitted grievous bodily harm and avoided a prison sentence, instead receiving a community punishment.

Mr Justice Grigson stated an abusive relationship with Claire Sanderson and described the sequence of the killings in court on Friday. He said:

"And when you tired of her, you transferred your attention to her sister, Diane," he told the court on Friday. "As Claire stood in your way, you murdered her. In my opinion, that was a premeditated act. "You also determined to lure Diane to your home and kill her there and then to use her for your own sexual gratification before killing her and on 10 July you did just that. "You battered Claire with a hammer in as brutal and callous a way as is possible to imagine before placing a plastic bag over her head and, having killed her, you wrapped her body in a bin bag. "On 17 July you succeeded in luring Diane to your home. It is plain at your hands she suffered not only terror and pain but sexual harm before she died."

Sentencing

Hobson was sentenced to life imprisonment on 27 May 2005 with a recommendation that he should never be released.

Mr Justice Grigson said at sentencing:

"The damage you've done is incalculable. "You not only destroyed the lives of your victims, but you devastated the lives of those who loved them."

The court’s recommendation that Hobson should never be released was described as a “whole-life tariff.”

Appeals

Hobson lodged an appeal seeking a reduction of the whole-life minimum term. He claimed that he should have been given a more lenient sentence because he had admitted all four murders at the earliest opportunity.

Hobson also suggested that no other murderer who admitted their crimes at the first opportunity had ever been recommended for lifelong imprisonment. The appeal was turned down by the Appeal Court after Lord Phillips agreed with the trial judge’s recommendation.

Lord Phillips stated that a whole-life order was inevitable regardless of a guilty plea. He said:

"No-one knowing the facts of the case could be in any doubt as to why the judge had given no effect to the guilty plea."

Imprisonment

Shortly before the court case, Hobson was placed into solitary confinement for three months after attacking Ian Huntley and scalding him with a bucket of boiling water.

A prison service spokesman said:

"it's impossible to prevent incidents of this nature occasionally happening."

In January 2006, letters were released from Wakefield Prison in which Hobson blamed alcohol for his killing spree. It had been revealed at Hobson’s trial that he was an alcoholic who regularly drank as many as 20 pints a day.

At the same time, it was revealed that Hobson had a drug problem: he was addicted to heroin and also used other drugs, including cocaine.

Outcome

Hobson remained serving his term in Wakefield Prison and was unlikely ever to be released.

In February 2007, some 15 months after Hobson’s failed appeal, the European Court of Justice began a review of lifelong imprisonment to determine whether such sentences amounted to a violation of human rights. The review was intended to consider whether prisoners serving such sentences would have their cases called back to court for a new minimum term to be set.

Timeline

• 2002 — Hobson stabbed a love rival five times in the chest in a daylight attack in front of shoppers in Selby, leaving him with a punctured lung; Hobson admitted grievous bodily harm and received a community punishment.
• 10 July 2004 — The sentencing judge said Hobson lured Diane to his home and killed her there.
• 17 July 2004 — The sentencing judge said Hobson succeeded in luring Diane to his home, and Diane suffered terror and pain and sexual harm before she died.
• 18 July 2004 — Diane’s boyfriend discovered the twins’ mutilated bodies in the flat in Camblesforth.
• 25 July 2004 — Hobson was arrested at a petrol station in Shipton-by-Beningbrough, near York, following a nationwide manhunt; neighbours found the Brittons’ bodies in Strensall on the same day.
• April 2005 — Hobson admitted all four murders at his trial.
• 27 May 2005 — Mr Justice Grigson sentenced Hobson to life imprisonment on a whole-life tariff with a recommendation that he should never be released.
• May 2005 — The sentencing day included Jacqueline Sanderson shouting “Rot in hell” as the sentence was read out.
• 15 months after the appeal — The European Court of Justice began its review of lifelong imprisonment in February 2007.
• January 2006 — Letters were released from Wakefield Prison in which Hobson blamed alcohol for his killing spree.
• February 2007 — The European Court of Justice began a review of lifelong imprisonment for possible human-rights violations.

Other details

Hobson’s conduct included attacking Ian Huntley, who was described as a former school caretaker convicted of murdering two female pupils at a Cambridgeshire school, before scalding him with boiling water.