GRAHAM SATE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDERING LAUREN CREED IN NORWICH
On December 11, 1998, Graham Sate was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of five-year-old Lauren Creed in Norwich.Having been found guilty at Norwich Crown Court, he was informed that he must serve a minimum of 25 years.
The presiding judge, Mr.
Justice Newman, described Sate as a dangerous individual who "did not hesitate to resort to violence." Sate, 25 years old at the time, killed Lauren less than a year after being released from prison, where he had served two-thirds of a seven-year sentence.
In addition to murder, he was convicted of child cruelty.
Lauren’s mother, RAF senior aircraftwoman Sharon Creed, also 25, had previously admitted two charges of cruelty.
She was sentenced to five years in prison.
In the weeks leading up to Lauren’s death, authorities missed warning signs that she was at risk from Sate.
Ultimately, Sate inflicted such severe injuries that her liver was split in two by punches, kicks, or stamping.
When a pathologist examined Lauren after she died at her home at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk in October of the previous year, she was found to have 167 fresh bruises and abrasions.
The court heard that there were early indications of abuse over the months prior to her death.
Concerned neighbor Sofiah Baker recorded Lauren claiming, "Daddy punched me in the belly today.
Slapped me.
Punched me." Despite these signals, authorities failed to grasp the severity of Lauren’s situation.
The case revealed serious errors made by police, RAF police, and social workers.
BBC’s Social Affairs Correspondent Niall Dixon noted that new guidelines are expected to be issued to relevant agencies following this case.
Lauren’s murder was not Sate’s first offense.
He had previously served seven years after stabbing a woman taxi driver in Grimsby in 1993, and received an additional 15 months in 1995 for causing grievous bodily harm by throwing scalding water on another prisoner.
Detective Inspector Malcolm Chambers, who led the investigation, described Sate as "contemptible" and “a very cold, dangerous person clearly prone to extreme bouts of violence.” He remarked, “He is just a very cold, dangerous person clearly prone to extreme bouts of violence,” and added that he had never seen injuries like Lauren’s during his police career.
Sate moved in with Sharon Creed a few months after his release from prison, on Christmas Eve 1996.
While on leave from his ship, he cared for Lauren during the daytime while Creed was working at RAF Coltishall.
In early July 1997, both civilian and RAF police attended a domestic dispute at their home.
It was during this incident that Mrs.
Baker and her husband became concerned about Lauren’s battered appearance and recorded her saying, "Daddy punched me in the belly today.
Slapped me.
Punched me." At that time, Sate was still on licence from the probation service and could have been returned to prison, but neither police nor RAF police informed his probation officer about the incident or about Lauren’s complaints.
Social services were notified, but a social worker did not question Creed until early September.
Mrs.
Baker stated that police did not seize the tape recording until after Lauren’s death.
The court was informed that officers considered the July 7 incident to be merely a domestic matter, downplaying the severity of the situation.
