A POSTMAN bludgeoned a mum to death with a dumbbell before leaving her wrapped body in his home for 11 days.
Emily Sanderson, 50, was last seen by family at her dad’s funeral on May 19 and was reported missing a few days later.
PAEmily Sanderson was found dead after she disappeared[/caption]
SWNSMark Nicholls pleaded guilty to murder[/caption]
Tragically, her final moments were heard by a cab company as Mark Nicholls’ battered the mum-of-three to death.
In haunting audio played to court, Emily can be heard screaming before a series of dull thuds were heard.
Her body was discovered in a house in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 11 days after she disappeared.
Chillingly, the postman was seen digging in the garden days before the tragic find was made.
Nicholls, 43, has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 and a half years after he pleaded guilty to murder.
Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said it was a “ferociously violent attack on a defenceless woman”.
He added: “There was an unrelenting avalanche of violence visited upon her.”
Emily’s family had issued a desperate plea for information after she vanished.
They said: “We are all worried sick about you. We love you and need you home safe.”
Police found her body in a three-bedroom home that neighbours believed was empty on May 30.
The property, which had recently sold, had previously been listed on Right Move.
A post mortem found Emily died from head injuries.
South Yorkshire Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following Emily’s death.
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