Women involved in Lee Irving's death have sentences increased

Two women involved in the brutal murder of Lee Irving from Newcastle have had their sentences extended at the Court of Appeal.

In December 2016, James Wheatley from Kenton was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 23 years for murdering Irving, 24, who had learning difficulties.

Wheatley's mother Julie Mills, his girlfriend Nicole Lawrence and a lodger in their home, Barry Imray were also found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult and also of conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP referred the three to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme to ask for their sentences to be reviewed to ensure they reflected the seriousness of their conduct.

Following the hearing, two of the offenders have had their sentences increased. Julie Mills, 52, will spend 10 years in prison instead of eight and Nicole Lawrence, 22, will spend seven years behind bars, instead of four. There were no changes made to the sentence of Barry Imray.

At the time of his death, Irving, who suffered from learning difficulties had been living with Wheatley and some of the others for many months. At the house, Wheatley subjected Irving to serious violence.

The others were aware of what was happening but did nothing to prevent the attacks or seek medical assistance that Irving urgently required. Instead, Mills sedated him with drugs in order to keep him in the house so that his injuries would not be discovered. Lawrence, along with Wheatley, would also withdrawer money from Irving's account to spend on themselves.

Over the course of a few days in June 2016, Wheatley struck Lee about the head and body causing him to suffer horrific injuries which led to his death.

The group attempted to cover up what had happened by hiding any potential evidence. They dressed Irving's body and wheeled it in a pushchair to a canal path. They then called the emergency services with a passer-by and pretended to have discovered the body.

Lee Irving: The tragic story of the vulnerable man killed by those who he thought were his friends