Joe Pooley death: Three jailed for combined total of 56 years
Three people have been jailed for a combined total of 56 years for the murder of a man from Suffolk.
22-year-old Joe Pooley was first reported missing on Friday 10th August 2018.
The following Monday morning, 13th August, his body was discovered in the River Gipping near London Road in Ipswich.
Mr Pooley was a vulnerable adult and needed the support of his family and social care.
Police say he knew all four defendants.
A post-mortem examination determined that the likely cause of Mr Pooley’s death was 'immersion in water'.
Two men and a woman were originally convicted at Ipswich Crown Court of killing Mr Pooley on Friday 19th March 2021.
The jury found three of the four defendants guilty with majority verdicts following a trial, which started on 12 October 2020.
The verdicts were:
• 35-year-old Sebastian Smith (previously known as Luke Greenland) of Ramsay Road in Hawick, Roxburghshire was found guilty of murder • 31-year-old Sean Palmer of South Market Road in Great Yarmouth was found guilty of murder • 30-year-old, Rebecca (Becki) West-Davidson (previously known as Rebecca Shevlin) of Roper Court in Ipswich was found guilty of murder • 26-year-old, Lisa-Marie Smith of Ramsay Road in Hawick, Roxburghshire was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter.
The police investigation concluded that Mr Pooley had been killed in the early hours of 7th August 2018. You can find more information about the investigation here.