20-year jail sentence for killer of village mum-of-three

John Jessop, who is 26, had been in a six-month relationship with 47-year-old Clair which ended on February 19 last year.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Jessop cycled 17 miles from his Newark home just a week later to carry out what detectives said was a ‘brutal and relentless’ knife attack on his former girlfriend in her own home.

Clair’s father had the trauma of discovering his daughter’s body the next day when he called at the house – she was dressed in pyjamas and had serious stab wounds to the neck and chest.

Jessop pleaded guilty to her murder at the same court on October 12 and was sentenced today to 20 years in jail, of which he will have to serve at least 17 years and eight months.

After today’s sentencing hearing, Det Insp Mel Crutchley, the senior investigating officer in charge of the case for Nottingham Police, said: “Throughout this investigation, Jessop has shown no remorse for what he did to Clair.

"He has consistently provided ‘no comment’ in interview and offered up no apology.

“The attack he inflicted on Clair was brutal and relentless, causing catastrophic injuries which finally led to her death.

“At the same time that Clair’s dad discovers his daughter’s body and tries to provide CPR - Jessop is enjoying his first pint in a pub in Newark with mates.

“He has taken away a loving, caring, and outgoing mum, daughter, sister, and friend to many.

“Today’s sentence will never bring back Clair, but it does mean that Jessop will spend a considerable part of his life behind prison bars, and I hope this gives her family some comfort.”

Brought up in Bingham, Clair had married at the age of 19 and had spent most of her life working on the farm she shared with her husband.

They had three boys together. When the marriage ended, she moved out of the family home and set up a new life for herself in Colston Bassett.

A year ago, she started renting a small cottage in Hall Lane and was becoming a successful entrepreneur - setting up her own dog walking and dog boarding business.

Her friends and clients described her as ‘sociable, well-liked, who would stop and talk to anyone’.

Clair had been using a dating website and within Whatsapp messages there was one man that had not come forward to assist police with their investigations. It was Jessop.

Forensically her killer had left hardly a trace of DNA at the scene apart from shoe prints marked in blood inside the address.

Clair’s mobile phone was missing. There was no murder weapon. The crime was committed in a remote location, with fears that CCTV footage and witnesses would be sparse.

Det Insp Crutchley said: “In any homicide investigation I always remain open-minded and keep the information, intelligence, and evidence under constant review.

“However, I formed the opinion very early on in this investigation that Clair’s killer was known to her.

“There was no forced entry to the house, there was no evidence of a burglary, and Clair had only lived at the address for about six weeks.

“The nature of her injuries to the head and chest appeared very personal.”

Road cameras and bus routes were checked to find the mode of transport the killer had taken, but to no avail.

But a media appeal broke the investigation wide open when the police got a call from Clair’s neighbour working in France.

He had caught the killer on his CCTV camera.

Not only was there a picture of him, but it was an audio camera. It had captured the sound of the very assault that had ended her life.

Having viewed the CCTV remotely from his mobile phone in France, the neighbour flew home so police could view the footage.

The grainy image of a hooded man was their first shot of the killer.

And it provided plenty of clues for detectives including his height, what he was wearing, including his Adidas trainers, which matched the same blooded footprints left in Clair’s kitchen.

Jessop had travelled 17 miles from his home address by bike to commit murder and then travelled 17 miles back home.

He had made one stop at a shop to buy a pasty, which he paid for in cash, on his bike ride to the scene.

Footage from the shop picked up a front zip on his jacket which matched the same jacket on Clair’s next-door neighbour’s CCTV camera.

Jessop left his phone at home on the night of the murder.

But data from Jessop’s phone showed that he installed Google Maps, which was subsequently deleted the day before Clair was killed.

Relentless police work managed to build a CCTV picture of Jessop leaving his Newark address and travelling to Colston Bassett by bike.

On March 11, Jessop was charged with Clair’s murder.

Det Insp Crutchley added: “This was a solid investigation with many officers working all hours to catch Clair’s killer. The CCTV work was integral and managed to catch Jessop’s route from Newark to Colston Bassett.

“The neighbour played a major part in helping with our investigation by providing that first CCTV image of the killer and I would like to thank him personally for travelling home from France to help us bring Clair’s killer to justice.

“It is also a timely reminder for people to think about who they interact with online and to ensure their safety is protected from violent and predatory people like Jessop.”