Una Crown: Man found guilty of 86-year-old's murder after DNA found on nail clippings

A man has been found guilty of the murder of an 86-year-old woman after DNA which matched his profile was found on her nail clippings.

Una Crown, a retired postmistress, was found dead at her home in the Wisbech area of Cambridgeshire on 13 January 2013.

She had sustained stab wounds to her chest, her throat was cut and her clothes set on fire.

Initially, her death was not considered suspicious by police, which prosecutor John Price described as a "grave error of judgement".

David Newton, 70, was charged with Mrs Crown's murder last year but he denied the offence.

On Thursday at Cambridge Crown Court, he appeared open-mouthed as the foreman returned the jury's guilty verdict.

Newton was found guilty by a majority of 10 jurors to two after deliberating for 29 hours and 13 minutes.

John Payne, the husband of Mrs Crown's niece, found her in her hallway on 13 January 2013.

He had driven to her address to collect her for Sunday lunch at their house.

Prosecuting, Mr Price told the jury that Mrs Crown was killed the day before and that male DNA matching David Newton's profile was discovered by scientists in 2023.

The prosecution said the reason why Newton went to Mrs Crown's home and killed her were "not matters that the prosecution need prove".

But the trial heard the defendant was on state benefits in 2013 - his only source of regular income - and that he was "spending freely" on 13 January.

The prosecution also said money was missing from Mrs Crown's handbag.

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Detective Superintendent Iain Moor from Cambridgeshire Police said the force had apologised to Mrs Crown's family for "mistakes" during the initial investigation in 2013.

Using a DNA testing technique that was not available then, police were able to "cast doubt on David Newton's claims that he hadn't seen [Mrs Crown] on the day, or days, before her death".

"For more than a decade he thought he had gotten away with this most horrendous crime, but today's result shows you cannot hide forever," Mr Moor added.

Newton is due to be sentenced at the same court on February 14.

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