A COUPLE who dragged their friend’s body “face down through mud” before dumping her near a primary school have been jailed.
Robert Halliwell, 48, and Melanie Bullen, 53, had been taking drugs with Kerry Newman when they woke up to find her dea
MEN MediaKerry Newman was dumped partially clothed by a school[/caption]
The panicked couple bundled Kerry’s body into a car and drove her half-a-mile away in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Once there, they dragged the 40-year-old through the mud and left her partially clothed where she was found by members of the public.
Halliwell and Bullen have now been jailed for two years after admitting perverting the course of justice.
Kerry’s family yelled “a year for a life” as Minshull Street Crown Court heard the pair will spend a year in jail and a year on licence.
The court was told Halliwell and Bullen were captured on CCTV leaving his flat on July 17 this year.
His car was then tracked arriving at the school where Kerry’s body was discovered a few hours later.
A post mortem found she died from aspiration pneumonia due to drug toxicity.
Police are no longer treating her death as suspicious.
After the grim discovery was made, officers arrived at Halliwell’s flat where the couple was initially arrested on suspicion of murder.
Both tried to take drugs after the police caution was read to them as Halliwell told them: “She OD’d mate.”
Speaking at the sentencing hearing today, Kerry’s mum Julie, said: “I am the proud mother of Kerry Newman who was taken away by a horrible evil pair.
“I want to know who on Earth would move a body to a different location, a primary school, and dump it like some old rubbish. Normal people would call an ambulance – these individuals clearly have something to hide.
“I’ll never be able to see my baby girl again, hear her voice, laugh like we used to. She was my only child. Whilst this pair blow kisses to each other across the court I cry myself to sleep at night.
“I do not have an answer and may never have one. I will never get over this, it gets harder everyday. One day, God willing, karma will come for them.”
MEN MediaMelanie Bullen woke to find Kerry dead[/caption]
MEN MediaHer and Robert Halliwell drove her body to be dumped by the school[/caption]
MEN MediaKerry was found by a member of the public[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
