A HANDYMAN who murdered a pensioner he did odd jobs for by repeatedly hitting her with a hammer has been jailed for life.
Paul Prause, 65, of Browne Close, Romford, England pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday to attacking 85-year-old Rosina Coleman.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years for the murder of the great-grandmother.
Concern
Prause initially said he became concerned when there was no answer at the pensioner’s home on the morning of May 15 and used a side door key to gain entry.
He claimed he found Ms Coleman’s body on her bedroom floor and called emergency services at 11.30am.
But after CCTV contradicted Prause’s story and blood at the scene matched his, he confessed to murder during a third police interview.
Joke
Prause claimed he was leaving Ms Coleman’s home when she made a jokey comment about him needing to grow up and it had made him angry.
He reacted by hitting her repeatedly with a hammer he had with him, before staging the bedroom to look like a burglary.
The murder weapon was recovered from a river Prause had thrown it into (Image: Metropolitan Police)However police and the prosecution believe his motivation was to steal jewellery and he murdered Ms Coleman after she caught and confronted him.
After the murder, he threw jewellery he believed was of little or no value into the River Rom, as well as his clothes and the hammer.
He kept one diamond ring worth £7,000 that he hid in his shed, which was later recovered by police.
'Despicable'
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “Rosina, known to her friends and family as Rose, was the victim of a despicable and ruthless murder by someone she trusted to enter her home to carry out work.
“Prause pretended he had just come across this terrible crime when in reality he was Rose's attacker.
“He lied to officers until the evidence caught him out and he was forced to admit he had hit her repeatedly with a hammer.”
He added: “We hope this sentence provides some closure for Rose’s relatives and friends and Paul Prause has plenty of time to think about his actions in prison where he belongs.”
