Landscape gardener who strangled midwife lover in 'rage' then joined search for her body jailed for life

A “composed and callous” thug murdered who his midwife lover before laying her wedding dress and engagement ring on her bed in a bid to frame her ex-fiancé has been jailed for life.

Michael Stirling, 32, killed Samantha Eastwood, 28, after flying into an “intense rage” then buried her body in a shallow grave at a disused quarry.

On Monday a judge at Stafford Crown Court jailed Stirling for life with a minimum of 16 years.

The NHS worker was found dumped in a ditch wrapped in a duvet cover with masking tape covering her face and eyes near the village of Caverswall, Staffordshire, on August 4.

She was reported missing eight days earlier on July 27 by concerned colleagues after she failed to turn up for work at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

A court heard after suffocating his former mistress, Stirling laid out her wedding dress and engagement ring on her bed in a bid to lay a “false trail” to former partner, John Peake.

Samantha had been due to marry Mr Peake, 34, whose sister Katie is married to Stirling but the wedding was called off in January.

Stirling hugged the victim’s sister Gemma, 26, as he pretended to offer her family support.

He even posed as Samantha following her death by using her phone to text Gemma in a bid to throw her family off his scent.

Stirling enjoyed a “cheerful evening” at his parent’s house with his wife while Samantha’s body was in his van parked outside.

The next evening he spent 40 minutes covering Samantha’s body with soil in a six inch deep grave while telling his wife he was out searching for her.

However, he later confessed and pleaded guilty to murder at Northampton Crown Court in October.

The full grisly details of his crimes and “double-life” were revealed at his sentencing hearing on Monday.

Sentencing Stirling, Mrs Justice Susan Carr said: “The most significant and obviously aggravating factors are to be found not only in your concealment of her body, but in the sophisticated and mendacious cover-up that you maintained, not just for hours but for days in the aftermath of Samantha’s death – in the glare not only of local scrutiny but national publicity.

“You intended permanent concealment, even though it only proved temporary.

“But even that deprived the family from any full opportunity to pay their respects and say goodbye to Samantha.”

The court heard Stirling had first started “flirting” with Samantha following the birth of his daughter in 2013.

Samantha got engaged to Mr Peake in 2015 and they bought a house together but they split up at the start of this year.

Following their separation, Mr Peake confronted Stirling about the relationship after finding intimate text messages – but he denied the affair and claimed nothing was going on.

The court heard how Samantha and Stirling had continued to enjoy a “close relationship” and had “close feelings for each other” until her death.

On the day of the killing Stirling wrapped his hands around Samantha’s throat, mouth and nose as she lay on the floor during a row at her home near Stoke-on-Trent.

Stirling’s van was caught on CCTV arriving at Samantha’s home on the day she died before driving away from the scene after around an hour.

Neighbours said they had heard a woman screaming “get off me” at her home at about 2pm on the day she disappeared.

Stirling went to neighbouring properties the following day while pretending to be a member of the search team looking for Samantha and quizzed them about CCTV.

He also used Samantha’s phone to message her sister Gemma saying she’d had a breakdown and needed time alone and added: “Please leave me alone x”.

Gemma also received another message from Samantha’s phone saying a “mad” man was taking her to the motorway.

One of texts read to the court said: “I love you all, I have had a massive breakdown about stuff – I’m so sorry xx’.

“‘I just want time for me. I’m sick of Facebook so just want me-time. I’m sorry, just don’t feel myself at the moment.”

Today, Gemma bravely read an emotional victim impact to the court.

Fighting back tears, she said: “That night he hugged me after he killed my sister, that will haunt me.

“When he killed my sister, he might as well have killed me and my mum.”

Forensic linguistic and cell site evidence as well as CCTV revealed Stirling was in possession of Samantha’s phone at the time the messages were sent.

Stirling was arrested following Samantha’s disappearance but released on bail and remained under police surveillance.

He was seen by police cycling to the burial site on August 2.

After being rearrested tape found in the back of Stirling’s van was matched to the tape found on Samantha’s body and he was charged with murder.

A victim impact statement from Mr Peake said: “I always thought we would have got back together.

“Because of what has happened, I will never know and I will always wonder what could have been.”

The court heard Stirling had entered his guilty plea on the basis he killed her “in an intense rage” following an argument, which was not pre-meditated.

Charles Miskin QC, defending, said: “He has to face the torment until his own death. It is like a stain that will spread though all his relationships.

“It will make every aspect of his life. Every conversation he has. It will simply never go away. He is haunted by what he did.”