Domestic Violence: 36 Year-Old Briton, Neil Crampton, Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murdering Nigerian Wife, Two Children, Others


Jailed for life, Briton sentenced for murdering Nigerian wife, children
By Paul Ohia with agency report, 11.26.2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A Briton, Neil Crampton, who murdered his former Nigerian wife, their two children, and her ex-wife's brother was yesterday jailed for life in a court in United Kingdom.


Crampton, 36, admitted killing his daughter Abigail, 12, son Steven, five, ex-partner Olufunke Sobo, and her brother Yemi Sobo, 41, but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He stabbed them all in a frenzied attack.

But the jury at Newcastle Crown Court found he was not suffering an abnormality of mind when he killed them.

He hacked the adults to death, then went upstairs to kill his defenceless children at their home in Kenton two years ago.

Cannabis user Crampton was jealous and possessive of Sobo, also known as Funke or Liz, and could not come to terms with the fact that their on-off relationship was coming to an end.

He struck on the night before her mother Omotunde Sobo, known as Tunde, was returning from a holiday in Nigeria.

Mrs. Sobo returned to find the semi-detached home in Hawthorn Gardens, which she shared with Ms Sobo and the children, had been cordoned-off by police.

Crampton had made a 999 call in which he confessed: “I’ve murdered my entire family.”

He fled afterwards and made several attempts to kill himself before he was arrested hours later outside his parents’ house, where he was living.

The court heard Crampton and Sobo met and fell in love while working together at a Newcastle University bar.

She quickly got pregnant and they moved in together before the birth of their daughter Abigail.

The relationship faltered after he had a breakdown and became depressed.

Shortly before Steven was born, they split up, and went to live with their respective mothers.

Since then, Crampton had affairs with prostitutes and went travelling, but remained possessive and jealous of Sobo, an Asda supermarket worker.

On November 13, 2006, he went to her house and shortly before midnight, neighbours heard screaming.

He said he attacked his ex-partner with a knife and then fought her brother, Yemi, as he came to her aid.

Yemi, a 41-year-old sickle cell anaemia sufferer, was staying with his mother while his flat in Gosforth was being refurbished.

After stabbing them, Crampton said he went upstairs and knifed his daughter, who tried to defend herself, then killed Steven who was asleep.

After that, he tried several times to kill himself, before he was finally arrested by armed police.

During the trial, it was claimed he wrote 666 on his arm the day before the attacks.

He never gave police a satisfactory explanation why he did not spare his children after slaughtering the adults.

In interview with detectives, he agreed he could not ‘hack’ the fact that his 36-year-old ex-lover was going out of his life - although it was stressed she would always want him to maintain contact with the children.

He told them: “She was a beautiful woman, I was losing her like you’ve said. You're putting words into my mouth, but ultimately it is the truth.”

He was convinced she was seeing other men, despite there being no evidence.

Jailing Crampton for life, Mr Justice Wilkie said he must serve a minimum of 35 years.

He said: “These were killings of the utmost savagery. You showed no mercy and in your fury you inflicted on each of them many, many blows with a knife.

“I am satisfied, as has been the jury, you were fully responsible for your actions. You snuffed out the life of a young woman, Liz Sobo, of whom no one bar you has had a bad word to say.

“She was plainly a delightful, bubbly person, a good mother and generous to you in her attempt to persuade you to be a worthy father to your children.”

He said her brother Yemi was “a highly popular and respected public figure”.

He added: “You ended the lives of your two young children, Abigail and Steven, almost before they had begun. The reason for these murders is none other than your pathetic sense of rage when she finally persuaded you that your relationship had no future.

“That alone and your inability to cope with that commonplace fact of life caused you to cut them down in this savage way.”

The jury convicted Crampton of four counts of murder by a majority of 10 to two after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

Some members of the jury wept and there were gasps from the public gallery, which were quickly calmed by a court usher, when the first verdict was returned.

Crampton stared intently at the jury, but did not visibly react, and was led away without making any comment or gesture.

He expressed his remorse in a letter to the judge.

The judge said: “You must answer to yourself for what you have done.”


[img]http://www.newnigerianpolitics.com/publishImages/indextemplatetopstory_briton_sentenced_to_life_imprisonment_for_murdering_wife_nov_26_2008~~element980A.jpg[/img]
Victims (l-r): Funke Sobo, Yemi Sobo, Abigail Crampton, Steven Crampton



http://www.newnigerianpolitics.com/indextemplatetopstory_briton_sentenced_to_life_imprisonment_for_murdering_wife_nov_26_2008.html

Horrific! What a monster!Kai!
Poor woman. And her poor brother,coming to her aid. People ehn.

Too sad

Too sad

Yes, too sad.

RIP Abigail
RIP Steven
RIP Olufunke Sobo

Why didn't he get a death sentence for killing these beautiful kids?