'A chilling, wicked and brutal act' - 30 years in prison for man guilty of travellers' site murder

The murder of a father of four at a travellers' site in Cambridgeshire has been described as a "chilling, wicked and brutal act".

Mark Mosley, 43, was found guilty of murdering 36-year-old Jessie Smith at the site in First Drove, Burwell, by a jury following an eight-week trial at Cambridge Crown Court last month.

Today he was told he would serve a minimum of 30 years in prison.

Judge Anthony Bate described the killing as a "chilling, wicked and brutal act" and said that Mosley had shown "a callous indifference to Jessie Smith's fate".

Mosley, who lived at the site, was also found guilty of attempting to murder Jessie’s nephew Paul Smith, causing actual bodily harm to Albert Smith and possession of a firearm, all relating to the same incident.

He was given further sentences, all to run concurrently, of 10 years for the attempted murder, three years for causing actual bodily harm and 10 years for the firearm offence.

During the trial, Cambridge Crown Court heard the murder took place after an incident at a New Year’s Eve party at the Comrades Club, in Soham, in which Paul Smith was assaulted by Mosley and other members of his family.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, Paul, Jessie and other members of the Smith family went to the site so Paul could resolve the issue in a bare-knuckle fight.

The other members of the family were there to see fair play was observed.

But during the fight, Mosley armed himself with a sawn-off shotgun and shot Jessie Smith three times.

Albert Smith was shot in the hand and Paul Smith had the gun aimed at his stomach. Mosley pulled the trigger but the gun did not fire.