BRITISH MAN SENTENCED TO 24 YEARS FOR GIRLFRIEND'S MURDER IN SPAIN
Christopher Chittock, a 38-year-old man from Ipswich, Suffolk, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Sarah Shields.The murder occurred in July 2010 on Gran Canaria, where Chittock allegedly attacked Shields during a jealous outburst.
His violence involved strangling her, dragging her to a secluded beach, punching her to the ground, striking her head against a rock, and strangling her again.
He then burned her clothes in a fire before disposing of her body in the ocean, where it was found the next day.
After returning to Ipswich, Chittock attempted to hide his guilt by retaining her phone and sending texts pretending to be Shields to her family.
He was found guilty of murder after a trial lasting three days and was ordered to pay her parents 200,000 Euros.
It is believed that jealousy was a motive, tied to the discovery of text messages between Shields and her ex-boyfriend, William Newham.
Though the jury suggested that jealousy and malice influenced his actions, these factors were not conclusively proven.
A European arrest warrant led to his detention in September 2010, followed by extradition to Spain.
