Menu
03/07/2009
'Double Jeopardy' Footballer Jailed For Killing
A footballer has been jailed for life for killing his former girlfriend - seven years after he was originally cleared of the crime.
Mario Celaire, 31, who played for Maidstone United, was cleared of killing 19-year-old Cassandra McDermott, in Norbury, south east London in 2001.
He was today sentenced after becoming the first person in Britain to be convicted of a crime for which he had been previously found not guilty, under new double jeopardy laws.
The 31-year-old - who was already a convicted rapist - beat the woman and left her for dead.
She had been attacked in the middle of the night and left unconscious, choking on an undigested Chinese takeaway. Her sisters found her the following day.
A post mortem examination found the 19-year-old had suffered four or five hard blows to the face from a hard object - each of them enough to knock her out.
However, he was found not guilty of the attack at the Old Bailey. He then went on to attack another ex-girlfriend, Kara Hoyte.
Celaire, admitted manslaughter, and has been given a minimum jail term of 23 years for the attempted murder of Kara, and a minimum of eight years for Cassandra's death. Both sentences will run concurrently.
He pleaded guilty last month to both the manslaughter of Miss McDermott and the attempted murder of Miss Hoyte.
Ms Hoyte had been left paralysed and barely able to speak after she was beaten with a hammer in February 2007.
However, through "writing, drawing and gestures" she was able to describe what happened to her and also told police Celaire had confessed to the attack on Miss McDermott.
Prosecution lawyers then applied to reopen the inquiry into Ms McDermott's killing and successfully got the acquittal quashed in the Court of Appeal.
Sentencing him, the judge said Celaire "showed no mercy" to his two victims.
(JM/BMcC)
Mario Celaire, 31, who played for Maidstone United, was cleared of killing 19-year-old Cassandra McDermott, in Norbury, south east London in 2001.
He was today sentenced after becoming the first person in Britain to be convicted of a crime for which he had been previously found not guilty, under new double jeopardy laws.
The 31-year-old - who was already a convicted rapist - beat the woman and left her for dead.
She had been attacked in the middle of the night and left unconscious, choking on an undigested Chinese takeaway. Her sisters found her the following day.
A post mortem examination found the 19-year-old had suffered four or five hard blows to the face from a hard object - each of them enough to knock her out.
However, he was found not guilty of the attack at the Old Bailey. He then went on to attack another ex-girlfriend, Kara Hoyte.
Celaire, admitted manslaughter, and has been given a minimum jail term of 23 years for the attempted murder of Kara, and a minimum of eight years for Cassandra's death. Both sentences will run concurrently.
He pleaded guilty last month to both the manslaughter of Miss McDermott and the attempted murder of Miss Hoyte.
Ms Hoyte had been left paralysed and barely able to speak after she was beaten with a hammer in February 2007.
However, through "writing, drawing and gestures" she was able to describe what happened to her and also told police Celaire had confessed to the attack on Miss McDermott.
Prosecution lawyers then applied to reopen the inquiry into Ms McDermott's killing and successfully got the acquittal quashed in the Court of Appeal.
Sentencing him, the judge said Celaire "showed no mercy" to his two victims.
(JM/BMcC)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
10 November 2006
Man pleads guilty to stabbing student
A man who stabbed a student to death on a train has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Thomas Lee Wood, 22, from Skelmersdale in Lancashire admitted killing first-year student Thomas Grant, 19, from Glouestershire who had been attending St Andrews University.
Man pleads guilty to stabbing student
A man who stabbed a student to death on a train has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Thomas Lee Wood, 22, from Skelmersdale in Lancashire admitted killing first-year student Thomas Grant, 19, from Glouestershire who had been attending St Andrews University.
22 May 2009
Man Prosecuted Under 'Double Jeopardy' Rule
A man who was found 'not guilty' of the killing of his ex-girlfriend, has become the first person prosecuted by the Met Police under 'double jeopardy' legislation. Mario Celaire, 31, from Sydenham, south-east London, was cleared in 2002 of killing 19-year-old Cassandra McDermott.
Man Prosecuted Under 'Double Jeopardy' Rule
A man who was found 'not guilty' of the killing of his ex-girlfriend, has become the first person prosecuted by the Met Police under 'double jeopardy' legislation. Mario Celaire, 31, from Sydenham, south-east London, was cleared in 2002 of killing 19-year-old Cassandra McDermott.
16 August 2011
Jersey Stabbings Suspect 'Named'
The man suspected of killing six people, including his wife and children, in Jersey at the weekend has been named locally as Damian Rzeszowski. The 30-year-old has been arrested in connection with the stabbings and remains in Jersey General Hospital, under police guard, after receiving emergency surgery.
Jersey Stabbings Suspect 'Named'
The man suspected of killing six people, including his wife and children, in Jersey at the weekend has been named locally as Damian Rzeszowski. The 30-year-old has been arrested in connection with the stabbings and remains in Jersey General Hospital, under police guard, after receiving emergency surgery.
19 October 2009
Father In 'Honour Killing' Trial Collapses
The man who is on trial for the alleged "honour killing" of his teenage daughter has collapsed at the Old Bailey. Mehmet Goren, 49, who is on trial for the murder of his 15-year-old daughter Tulay, is understood to have collapsed as wife Hanim Goren began giving evidence as a prosecution witness.
Father In 'Honour Killing' Trial Collapses
The man who is on trial for the alleged "honour killing" of his teenage daughter has collapsed at the Old Bailey. Mehmet Goren, 49, who is on trial for the murder of his 15-year-old daughter Tulay, is understood to have collapsed as wife Hanim Goren began giving evidence as a prosecution witness.
05 October 2009
Paddington Memorial 10 Years On
Survivors and bereaved relatives stood together in silence this morning to mark the 10th anniversary of the Paddington rail crash. They gathered at the crash memorial in Ladbroke Grove, west London, alongside Transport Secretary Lord Adonis with leading figures from the rail industry and the emergency services. The ceremony began at 08.
Paddington Memorial 10 Years On
Survivors and bereaved relatives stood together in silence this morning to mark the 10th anniversary of the Paddington rail crash. They gathered at the crash memorial in Ladbroke Grove, west London, alongside Transport Secretary Lord Adonis with leading figures from the rail industry and the emergency services. The ceremony began at 08.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:It will be cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, soon followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
