Callous couple battered her on-off lover 73 times with ‘breathtaking brutality’ on Boxing Day then torched flat to conceal horrific murder
- Freya Parker-Magowan and Seth Stollery beat Paul Gillett to death last year
- Parker-Magowan had split up with Stollery and moved in with Gillett in Essex
- But she reunited with ex and the pair brutally assaulted him, hitting him 73 times
- They were convicted of murder and arson after trying to burn down his flat
A ‘twisted’ woman and her ‘callous’ boyfriend have been found guilty of brutally murdering her former lover.
Freya Parker-Magowan, 43, split with partner Seth Stollery, 48, last year and moved in with Paul Gillett, whom she started a sexual relationship with.
But when she reunited with her ex, the pair turned on Mr Gillett and brutally beat the 54-year-old to death on Boxing Day 2018.
The pair battered him with at least 73 blows ‘with breathtaking brutality’ and then tried to burn down his flat in Clacton, Essex, to cover up the crime.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard the pair then blamed each other for the murder when they were caught, claiming Mr Gillett had stolen an iPad and sold it.
Freya Parker-Magowan, 43, and partner Seth Stollery, 48, have been found guilty of murdering her former lover Paul Gillett after battering him 73 times
Parker-Magowan and Stollery were arrested and detectives established that Stollery had been told about his on/off partner’s sexual relationship in the hours leading up to the killing.
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton QC had told a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court the couple had formed a ‘deadly alliance’.
‘Paul Gillett faced a storm of violence unleashed by these two defendants in a joint attack.
‘He was beaten all over his head and body with such force as to fracture bones.
‘That beating, with a minimum of 73 blows, was delivered with multiple weapons when he was alone and vulnerable.
‘Mr Gillett was strangled with such force as to break his thyroid cartilage.. That strangulation lasted between 15 and 30 seconds,’ he said.
Forensic evidence showed both defendants washed blood-stained clothes in the sea shortly after the attack.
Mr Paxton added: ‘These two defendants were prepared to end his life with breathtaking brutality.’
Mr Gillett, pictured, had started a sexual relationship with Parker-Magowan while she and Stollery had split up
Parker-Magowan and Stollery were found guilty yesterday of murder after the jury deliberated for less than two hours.
She was also found guilty of arson with recklessness, which Stollery had previously plead guilty to.
They now face life terms when they are sentenced next month.
The murder trial heard Mr Gillett was a loving father to two daughters and had cared for his wife before her death.
The lead officer on the case, Detective Inspector Stuart Truss said the killers had taken advantage of Mr Gillett’s kind nature.
DI Truss said: ‘They brutally and needlessly murdered him before trying to callously cover their tracks.
‘They had no regard for the safety of other residents when they started the fire in Mr Gillett’s home.
‘Mr Gillett was a quiet man who was liked within the flats where he lived.
‘Stollery and Parker Magowan took advantage of his nature.’
DI Truss thanked firefighters and the first cops on the scene for helping to preserve the area after they realised something suspicious had occurred.
‘I want to praise the police and fire officers who first attended the scene for their fantastic work which set the foundations for this conviction.’
The pair will be sentenced on August 5.