KEVIN ROBERTS SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF 12-YEAR-OLD BOY IN ECCLES AND NORFOLK

In December 1999, a tragic case concluded with the sentencing of Kevin Roberts, a shopkeeper from Eccles, Norfolk, who was convicted of the murder of a young boy named Thomas Marshall. Roberts, aged 52 at the time, was sentenced to life imprisonment after a jury found him guilty of the heinous crime, which shocked the local community and drew widespread media attention.

Roberts was described by a senior detective involved in the investigation as a 'cold and calculating' paedophile. The detective emphasized that Roberts had previously abused Thomas Marshall and strangled him out of fear that his crimes would be exposed. The victim, Thomas, was only 12 years old when he disappeared, and his body was discovered the following day, approximately 50 miles away from his home near Thetford, in a secluded picnic area known to be frequented by homosexual men.

Thomas's parents, John and Carol Marshall, expressed their relief that Roberts would no longer be free to harm other children. They also publicly stated their disapproval of Roberts, who had allegedly called Thomas a 'rent boy.' During the trial at Norwich Crown Court, Roberts, who openly identified as homosexual, denied the murder charge. However, after nearly three weeks of proceedings, the jury—comprising eight men and four women—deliberated for almost ten hours before reaching a guilty verdict.

Mr. Justice Smedley, presiding over the case, delivered the sentence and made a pointed statement to Roberts. He said, 'You have been found guilty of murdering a young 12-year-old boy who you described to a witness as