Grieving parents' 'hatred' of abusive partner who covered up daughter's death in Spalding

• Trisha and John Law spoke to Emma Wilkinson

The grieving parents of a woman whose body was found in a tent a week after she died have spoken of their "hatred" for the abusive partner who tried to cover up her death.

Colette Law's body was found outside a church in Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 17 July, 2023. She is thought to have died seven days earlier.

Her partner, Paul Neilson, 30, repeatedly told people that the 26-year-old had returned home to Scotland, but later admitted knowing she had died in the tent and had deliberately failed to alert the emergency services.

It later emerged he had assaulted her repeatedly in the days before she died. Some of the attacks were caught on CCTV.

Colette's mother, Trisha, said: "We'll never know what caused him to harm her like that - in daylight, in front of people.

"He harmed her, he threw her to the ground. She was an easy target to him. He's a bad man.

"I've never liked the word hate - I raised my children not to say it. Hate's a very strong word. But I hate him, I really hate him."

Neilson was initially charged with murder but the Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the charge.

He was convicted of three assaults on Colette and of perverting the course of justice and was jailed for four years and eight months.

Trisha continued: "He knew she was dead. Why didn't he report it to the police?

"He knew if they found that tent and saw someone inside, they'd be looking for him, because he knew the day before he'd thrown her to the ground.

"He left her, which was rotten. He had a choice to report it rather than leaving her, and he didn't."

A post-mortem examination found that Colette had suffered two bleeds on the brain, but the cause of her death is still undetermined.

Her father, John, said: "I think people know what happened, but they couldn’t prove it because it took so long to find the body, so they couldn’t say exactly what caused her death.

"By the time they find her body all the evidence was away. It rained, the weather would have taken all that away, so he prevented it being found."

Colette, who was the youngest of three daughters, had moved to Spalding from her home in Scotland with Neilson in the summer of 2023.

She was described by her parents as "happy and outgoing" and "the life and soul of the family".

Her father, John, said: "She was really funny. She was a pain in the butt sometimes as well, but she was really funny.

"She had a lot of friends, but then he appeared on the scene. He looked evil, in his eyes, you could see he’s not a nice guy."

Trisha added: "If she didn’t die then, I think he’d still be beating her up.

"I just keep telling myself she's at peace now, he's not harming her anymore. He's not in her face, he's not hitting her. That's what keeps me going, that's the only thing.

"I can't sleep because when I lie down she's there. I smell her perfume, I hear her singing.

"If I would have seen that violent side of him, I would have gone straight to the police. I'm her mum and I should have saved her. I feel as if I didn't do enough."

Her parents are now urging people who witness any potential incidents of domestic violence to report it to the police.

Trisha said: "If there is anybody out there in that situation, in a relationship like Colette, please get help.

"And if there’s anyone who see's it happening, even if you just see raised voices, please say something.

"Tell the police. Even if it’s just shouting in their face, if they’re doing that in public what are they doing behind closed doors? You just don't know what more could be happening."

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