A WOMAN who murdered her housemate after beating his with a bat and pushing him down the stairs has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Cheryl O'Callaghan, 45, of Stanton Crescent, Westvale, Kirkby, Merseyside must serve a minimum of 18 years for the murder of 57-year-old Adrian Swift.
She was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty in December.
"No sentence, however long, can ever be a consolation for the loss of a loved one but hopefully knowing O'Callaghan is now in prison will help Mr Swift's family now properly grieve his death," said Detective Chief Inspector Paul Speight.
Adrian Swift died a day after the assault (Image: Merseyside Police)On March 23, 2022, Mr Swift was the victim of a violent assault for which he received hospital treatment before discharging himself the following morning and returning home.
The Liverpool Echo reports that Mr Swift told 999 operators that he had been "battered s***less" by O'Callaghan, later telling paramedics that she had beaten him with a bat and pushed him down a flight of stairs.
Mr Swift was treated in hospital but discharged himself the following morning on March 24.
Three hours after leaving the hospital, emergency services attended a property on Bishopgate Street, Wavertree at around 11.45am, where they found Mr Swift dead as a result of the injuries he had received the previous day.
O'Callaghan denied any involvement in Mr Swift's death but was found guilty of his murder following a trial.
Steven Hardaker, 51, of Aigburth Drive, Liverpool and Adam Oldland, 51, of Princes Road, Liverpool both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
They were each sentenced to 25 months in prison.
Steven Hardaker, left, and Adam Oldland were each sentenced to 25 months in prison for perverting the course of justice (Images: Merseyside Police)"This was truly a shocking case in which O'Callaghan took advantage of Mr Swift's vulnerabilities to inflict terrible injuries during a violent assault, which later proved to be fatal," added DCI Speight.
"To make matters worse she continued to deny her involvement in his death forcing his family and friends to sit through a trial.
"Thankfully the jury saw through her lies and convicted her of murder and she will now spend a considerable number of years behind bars where she belongs.
"Similarly, Oldland and Hardaker have also been dealt with for their part in covering up the manner of Mr Swift's death."
