Builder jailed for hammer murder of Dudley woman whose house he was working in

A builder has been jailed after using a hammer to murder a woman whose house he was working in.

Peter Norgrove, aged 43, pleaded guilty to the murder of 58-year-old Sharon Gordon at her home in Dudley.

Mrs Gordon's body was found at the foot of her staircase on Friday 21 July 2023, with "severe" head injuries after her friends became concerned when she didn't turn up for work. She had died the day before.

Norgrove had met Mrs Gordon through mutual friends at the church they both attended.

The recently-qualified bricklayer had been working on an extension at Mrs Gordon's home, which police say "had taken many months" and "encountered several problems along the way."

Norgrove was interviewed by police and said he had left the property the previous day.

But blood-stained items were found in a wheelie bin at a family address - and searches found a hammer hidden in a shed. He pleaded guilty to her murder at Wolverhampton Crown Court on December 4 2023.

On Wednesday 31 January, Norgrove was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years.

Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Chambers said the "brutal and savage" offence, involving eight blows to the head, was aggravated by a false statement Norgrove gave police saying his victim was alive and well when he left the property.

The judge told Norgrove, a former public sector worker: "You used a hammer to repeatedly strike her to the head.

"You were angry because she had continued to criticise you for your chronic delays and workmanship."

The "rights and wrongs" of the extension over-run, which was more than a year behind schedule, were not matters for the court to determine, the judge said.

He added: "They do not provide you with any excuse, justification or mitigation for what you did."

Ms Gordon was found dead a day after the killing by two friends who visited the property, having been attacked between 2.01pm and 2.21pm on July 20 2023.

Prosecutor Earl Pinnock told the court that camera footage showed Norgrove entering the property through the back door wearing rubber gloves.

Mr Pinnock told the court: "At 14.02 the Ring doorbell recorded noises. They last for a duration of 18 seconds.

"A female voice screamed momentarily and then shouted something inaudible."

Footage recovered by police, which was issued after the sentencing, then caught Norgrove leaving the property with red marks on his trousers.

During sentencing, Judge Chambers said Mrs Gordon may have lived for up to an hour after the attack, and told Norgrove: "You went into the house, having put gloves on.

"You made no attempts to seek help.

"No sentence I can impose can put the clock back, nor should it be seen as any attempt to put a value on the loss of a human life.

"What was clear was by that Thursday, the 20th of July, Sharon Gordon continued to criticise you as to the delays and standard of your work. That clearly was the motivation for your anger.

"The principal aggravating factor is this was a brutal and savage attack in the victim’s home, using a weapon. She would have been no match for you.

"There was clearly an intention to kill."

Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, who led the investigation, said: "Mrs Gordon tragically lost her life following a violent attack by Peter Norgrove, which appears to have stemmed from him losing his temper after a disagreement over the work he was carrying out.

"Mrs Gordon’s friends and family have been deeply affected by her death, and while Norgrove has now faced the consequences of his appalling actions, our thoughts remain with them as they continue to grieve."

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