Man jailed after beating girlfriend to death then telling her family she died in hit-and-run

A man who battered his girlfriend to death then pretended to her family that she had been killed in a hit-and-run has been jailed.

Alan Edney, 31, subjected 35-year-old Kerry Owen to a "savage beating" before dumping her body in a ditch on a remote country lane.

She was eventually found in undergrowth by a dog walker in Hopwood, Worcestershire, on 27 May last year, after he spotted a pool of blood.

Edney, of Handsworth, Birmingham, was found guilty of murder following a four week trial at Worcester Crown Court. He has been jailed for life and was told her will serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

The court heard that he had spun a web of lies in a bid to cover his tracks, telling Owen's family members that she had been killed in a hit-and-run.

He even said he had accompanied her body to hospital and claimed he had given a statement to police about the collision.

Detective Chief Inspector Gerry Smith, from West Mercia Police, said: "Edney spent the hours after he had killed Kerry elaborately covering his tracks.

"Instead of calling for an ambulance after he had brutally attacked her, he sought to cover her body and hide his involvement.

"He contacted her family and told them she had been killed in a hit and run collision.

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“Even after he was arrested on suspicion of her murder he continued to lie, telling officers he had alibis.

"He later told officers in custody he had been in bed at the time Kerry was killed."

But he said extensive forensic, house-to-house and CCTV enquiries had uncovered Edney’s "elaborate web of lies", proving he was responsible for Owen's murder.

"Edney will now face the consequences of his violent and deceitful actions and while today’s verdict will not undo a horrific killing, I hope it brings some solace to Kerry’s family that justice has been done," he added.