Man jailed for life for murder of woman in Muswell Hill

A convicted murderer has been sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison for the murder of a woman in her home in Muswell Hill.

Catherine Burke, who was 55, was stabbed in death at her house in November 2017. Neighbours raised the alarm after hearing her dog whimpering inside the house.

Six weeks later 22-year-old barmaid Luliana Tudos died after she was attacked with a broken bottle as she walked homes across Finsbury Park .

Police described both attacks as sexually motivated and particularly brutal.

Following his conviction for Luliana's murder, Lewis’s DNA was linked to the death of Catherine Burke, who was stabbed to death in her own home in Haringey a month before.

At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Monday, Lewis pleaded guilty to the murder of Ms Burke on November 16 2017.

The 55-year-old mother-of-one and retired civil servant was found dead by police after concerned neighbours raised the alarm.

Police found DNA linking the defendant to the scene and tracked Ms Burke’s mobile phone in the direction of where he was living.

In a victim impact statement Catherine's 22-year-old son Niall Galbally described how his life was uprooted when he heard about his mother's death.

Kasim Lewis was sentenced at the Old Bailey to serve a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years.