Lawrence Bierton
British murderer (born 1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lawrence Bierton (born 30 December 1959) is an English convicted serial killer.[1] In 1996, he was convicted of the double murder of two elderly sisters in Rotherham. In 2023 he was convicted of a third murder he committed while released on licence.[2]
Lawrence Bierton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 December 1959 |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | 2 life sentences |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
| Date | 1995, 2021 |
| Country | England |
| Targets | Aileen Dudill Elsie Gregory Pauline Quinn |
| Killed | 3 |
| Weapons |
|
First crime
On 25 June 1995, 79-year-old Aileen Dudill and her 72-year-old sister Elsie Gregory discovered their gardeners, Lawrence Bierton and Michael Pluck, stealing from them. Bierton and Pluck reacted by bludgeoning and suffocating the sisters to death.[3][4] Bierton and Pluck then piled the sisters' living room furniture over the bodies and set it all on fire.[5]
Bierton and Pluck were both jailed for life at Sheffield Crown Court in 1996.[6]
Release and reimprisonment
Michael Pluck died in HMP Rye Hill on 13 February 2012[5] after failed appeals in 2002 and 2010.[7]
Bierton was released from prison on licence in 2017. He was recalled to prison in 2018 but was released on licence again in 2020.[8]
On 9 November 2021, in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Bierton battered his 73-year-old neighbour Pauline Quinn to death with her own coffee table.[9] The cause of death was traumatic head injuries.[10] His abuse of drug and alcohol was considered by the prosecution to be a contributing factor.[11]
In January 2023, the Probation Service released their review of the case.[12] Brendan Clarke-Smith, the local MP for Bassetlaw, called for a public inquiry.[13] On 20 December 2023, Bierton received a whole life sentence.[14][15] The Probation Service apologised to the families for its failings.[16]