Yahoo News Cocaine addict stabbed debt collector mum-of-three, 49, to death because he 'wanted her money'
A ‘greedy’ cocaine addict who stabbed a debt collector to death because he ‘wanted her money’ has been jailed for life.
‘Evil’ Geoffrey Hutton knifed mother-of-three Tina Cantello 30 times at his home in Snaresbrook, north-east London when she came to collect a weekly instalment.
A court heard Mrs Cantello had ‘no escape’ from Hutton, who then stole £60 cash from her handbag having been ‘intent on killing her’.
Within minutes of the murder he tried to contact his drug dealer, but mistakenly sent the text to Mrs Cantello’s phone.
Sentencing Hutton at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Mrs Justice Philippa Whipple said Mrs Cantello had a pre-arranged appointment and ‘had done nothing to engender this furious, violent attack.’
She said: ‘For Tina Cantello, this was totally unexpected, and totally unprovoked.
‘She had just gone about her work with her usual professionalism.
‘She had no time to turn on her recording device on her phone. She had no time to call for help.
‘This was a terrible act of violence on a defenceless woman who did not stand a chance.’
More than 20 members of Mrs Cantello’s family and friends watched as emotionless Hutton was handed a life sentence with a 30-year minimum term on Wednesday.
Following a two-week trial, a jury of eight women and four men took just over two hours to find Hutton guilty of murder on Tuesday.
Mrs Cantello, who worked for a small loans company, visited Hutton at his house at around 5.30pm on June 8.
After she failed to return home, her family reported her missing to Essex police.
At 5pm on June 9, officers attended the property on Derby Close after a neighbour recognised Mrs Cantello’s car from the missing person’s appeal.
The court heard how Mrs Cantello’s largely naked dead body was found upstairs with 30 separate stab wounds and 17 further injuries.
Hutton, who denied murder and did not give evidence to the court, claimed an unknown man stabbed the victim shortly after she arrived at his home.
Mrs Justice Whipple said: ‘I am sure, to the criminal standard, that he killed her because he wanted her money.
‘He had a cocaine habit and was greedy for more cocaine that day.’
The judge said the ‘most striking fact’ of the case was that Hutton contacted his drug dealer within 14 minutes of Mrs Cantello arriving.
Hutton, who is deaf and followed the sentencing on a transcript, watched as Mrs Cantello’s 22-year-old daughter Amy Johnson read an emotional statement to the court.
She said: ‘My life will never be the same again. It breaks my heart that my mum won’t be with me when I get married.
‘I miss my mum so much. I miss her voice, her singing, her laugh. My mum leaves a rich legacy and we will remember her forever.’
