Sunderland mum murdered by evil pal she thought was 'one of the good guys'

Michelle Hanson, 48, who had also been strangled and beaten, was found dead in her home in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, on December 3 last year.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the "gruesome" discovery sparked a nationwide manhunt for university student Alexander Carr, who had been seen in her flat on the evening of December 1.

During a major UK wide operation, lasting more than a fortnight, detectives released pictures and CCTV of Carr, featuring his distinctive walk, before he was found living in a tent in London and arrested.

Miss Hanson's sister Angela Kelly said the much loved mum and gran had considered Carr a friend and added in a heartbreaking impact statement: "She said he was one of the good guys. How wrong she was."

At Newcastle Crown Court today Carr, 33, of Wilfred Street, Sunderland, who admitted murder, has been told he must serve at least 19 years and three months behind bars before he can apply for parole.

Prosecutor Dafydd Enoch KC told the court blood spatter in Miss Hanson's home suggested she had been murdered in her living room by a killer who used up to three knives, which were found near her body, along with a smashed plate.

He said the murderer escaped from her bathroom window.

Mr Enoch said: "A post mortem revealed she had been stabbed several times to both sides of her neck, causing damage to her carotid artery and both internal jugular veins."

Mr Enoch said Miss Hanson had suffered at least 29 stab wounds, on 18 sites across her neck and head and had been asphyxiated and beaten but her body showed no signs of any defensive injuries.

The court heard on the evening of December 1, Carr had been seen by a visitor at Miss Hanson's flat, drinking vodka straight from the bottle, which she had been seen buying earlier. Carr later confessed he had also taken skunk cannabis.

The visitor said Carr was "acting nuts, talking in funny accents" and was clearly under the influence but Miss Hanson was "in good humour, laughing and cuddling up to him and seemed attracted to him".

It is believed Carr killed Miss Hanson in the early hours of December 2 and her body was found on December 3.

Mr Enoch said Carr was immediately the primary suspect and his jacket, stained with Miss Hanson's blood, was found during a search of his home. After a nationwide hunt he was arrested almost three weeks later, living in a tent on wasteland in North London, armed with a commando knife, and had to be tasered before he could be arrested.

When officers approached Carr, who has previous convictions for violence, he asked: "How did you find me?"

At his sentence hearing today, Miss Hanson's daughter, Shannon Brown, 29, readout a powerful victim impact statement from the witness box.

She said: “My mam was taken in such a vicious and mindless attack. We believe that her last moments would have been spent in fear.

“To think she welcomed this evil person into her house as a friend is unbearable. He has taken advantage of a vulnerable, kind and loving woman.

“It is horrific to know he towered over her in both height and strength and my mam was defenceless. This is something we must all try and live with.

“Carr stole the last moments I should have had with my mam and I couldn’t say goodbye and never got tell her how much we all loved her.

"His cowardly actions of running away meant I had to wait over three weeks before I could see my mam in the chapel of rest and I wasn’t able to touch her face or kiss her cheek.

“My mam was a kind and caring woman with a huge heart. She had an infectious smile, a brilliant sense of humour. "She was a character and was always vulnerable to people taking advantage of her. But she would never hurt anyone and always saw the good in people.

“We all feel lost without her. I would speak to her regularly, she was the first person I’d turn to if I was happy, sad or angry.

"She was my best friend. She was my rock.”

Miss Hanson's sister Angela Kelly said in her statement her sibling, who had a"beautiful smile", considered Carr a friend and added: "She said he was one oft he good guys. How wrong she was.

"That evil man took Michelle's life, murdered her in the most brutal way.

"The impact of losing her in this way is unbearable. I will never be the same again.

"She deserves justice for what this man has put her through, took her life without a second thought.

"One day he will walk free but my sister can't.

"I long every day to hold her and tell her everything will be okay. We now have to somehow get by knowing we will never see her smiling face again or hear those words 'love you more'.

"We get by for the sake of our family but our hearts are breaking that bit more every day."

The court heard Carr had a "disturbed and disadvantaged" background and had been diagnosed with elements of personality disorders, post traumatic stress and psychosis in the past.

Nicholas Lumley KC, defending, said Carr is "shocked and devastated" by his own actions and struggles to come to terms with the fact he is responsible for the death of another human being. Carr said in a letter to the court: "I take full responsibility for the bad lifestyle choices I made which led me to being so out of control that night.

"I knew my mental health was getting worse. I wish I had tried harder to seek more help."

Carr blamed the killing on "the evil of drugs and excess alcohol". Judge Paul Sloan KC said Carr was aware drugs and alcohol made his mental conditions worse and told him: "That night you made a choice, you voluntarily consumed alcohol and drugs, knowing the risks you ran by doing so."

Judge Sloan said Carr's mental conditions were little mitigation in the circumstances.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr of Northumbria Police, said: "This has been a horrific ordeal for Michelle’s family and I hope today can help them as they begin to move on with their lives and accept her tragic loss.

"They have shown real courage and strength since this investigation was launched and I want to thank them for all they have done to help us put Carr behind bars for his vile actions."

"Carr has shown no remorse and has never provided an explanation for why he murdered Michelle – a woman who invited him into her home as a friend.

"He killed her in her own home and then fled thinking we would never catch him. This is evident in the way he speaks to us during his arrest, genuinely shocked that the law had caught up with him."

Carr’s conviction and sentence shows that violence will never go unpunished and that dangerous people like Carr do not have a place in our communities.

"Michelle had a family and thanks to Carr they now have to live their lives without her and it is only right he now serves a lengthy sentence.

"I’d like to thank everyone who helped us bring Carr to justice for their efforts. From the officers and staff here in Northumbria, to the public who helped with our appeal, as well as our colleagues across the country,including the Metropolitan Police Service and criminal justice teams."