Murder of Sasha Marsden

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Sasha Marsden
Born(1996-05-07)7 May 1996
Died31 January 2013(2013-01-31) (aged 16)
Blackpool, England
Cause of deathMurder (stabbed)
NationalityBritish
OccupationStudent
Parent(s)Gary and Jayne Marsden

Sasha Marsden was a 16-year-old student studying childcare from Blackpool, England, who was stabbed to death on 31 January 2013. [1] Her body was then set on fire. It was alleged by the media that she had received threatening emails prior to the murder. [2] The murder received international coverage. [3]

Marsden was studying childcare at a local college. She lived with her parents in Staining near Blackpool. Six months earlier, she had been missing for six days before being found in Lowestoft, Suffolk. [4]

On the day of her murder, Marsden had been dropped off at the Grafton House Hotel, believing she was there for a job interview. Her body was found in an alleyway in Blackpool's South Shore district, and a post-mortem examination revealed attempts to set fire to it. She had been sexually assaulted, stabbed 58 times and her body wrapped in carpet underlay and bin liners. [5]

A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from the local area were arrested on suspicion of murder the day after it was found. [4]

On 3 February 2013 David Minto, the caretaker of a local hotel, was charged with Marsden's murder while the woman was released without charge. Minto appeared in court the following day. [6] He pleaded not guilty on 24 April 2013. He was remanded in custody to stand trial on 15 July 2013. [7] On 26 July Minto was found guilty of Marsden's murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum time of 35 years to serve before being eligible for parole. [5]

Minto appealed against his sentence in February 2014, but it was upheld by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and the minimum term of 35 years was upheld. [8]

Marsden's sister Gemma Aitchison now campaigns to help sexual assault victims and to change community attitudes, especially amongst young people. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Sasha Marsden stabbed to death in Blackpool alley". BBC News. 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Blackpool Stab Death: Teen 'Received Threat'". 3 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "Brutalt knivmord skakar England". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 Leach, Ben (2 February 2013). "Teenager found dead in alleyway died of stab wounds to head and face". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Barman Found Guilty Of Teenager's Murder". sky.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Sasha Marsden killing in Blackpool: Man on murder charge". BBC News. 3 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Sasha Marsden killing in Blackpool: Man denies murder". BBC News. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Sasha killer fails in court appeal". blackpoolgazette.co.uk. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Scullard, Vickie (11 May 2019). "'My teenage sister was murdered by a sex beast - now trolls say they'll do the same to me'". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 15 October 2020.
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