Savage killer who beat mum to death in 'exceptionally brutal' attack in home given at least 24 years

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

A killer who went on a spending spree after savagely beating a woman to death in her own home has been jailed for life for her murder.
Owen Grant repeatedly bludgeoned Lucretia Donaghy, known as Keshia, with a weapon like a claw hammer in the fatal attack.
A judge ordered that the 43-year-old must serve a minimum prison term of 24 years before he is eligible to seek release on parole because of the 'exceptionally brutal nature of the murder' and the killer's extensive record for violent crime.
Lord Scott told Grant that he murdered 'an unarmed and defenceless' woman.
He said: 'The attack was exceptionally savage, frenzied and, as your own senior counsel said, brutal.'
The judge added: 'The reasons for this brutal murder remain unknown, but appear almost certainly to have been related to money.'
Lord Scott said that after the murder Grant embarked on a spending spree 'frittering away' hundreds of pounds on cocaine.
The judge told him that when, if ever, he is released, it will be a matter for the parole board.
He said that in a victim impact statement the deceased's mother said her heart was broken following the loss of her only daughter.
The mother-of-two died after sustaining multiple blunt force head injuries and was found lying face down in a bedroom at her address in Elgin, Moray.
A neighbour had heard sounds of an argument coming from the downstairs flat and the victim calling out: 'No, no, no.'
A passport in the name of Owen Grant was found in the property and he left his hand print in the victim's blood on a bedroom wall but claimed it came from tattooing her wrist.
However, he was caught on camera with a wad of money after the killing.
Grant, of Elgin, denied murdering the 32-year-old and claimed: 'I never laid a finger on her.'
He told the High Court in Edinburgh that the killing was 'disgusting' and 'horrible' and he was devastated by the death.
But a jury found him guilty of assaulting Ms Donaghy by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with an unknown object and murdering her on November 15, 2023 in Elgin, by a majority verdict on the third day of deliberations.
Grant, a former labourer, who has previous convictions for violence and was sentenced to eight years detention in 2003 for arson to danger of life at Warrington Crown Court, in Cheshire, admitted he owed the victim £300 for cocaine but insisted he was planning to pay her back.
But the court heard he had just £12 in his bank account at the time of the murder and had not paid his rent that week.
Advocate depute Christopher Wilson KC told jurors: 'My suggestion to you is the accused had run out of money. A drug habit and a lack of money is a bad combination.'
He added: 'No one saw Owen Grant wield the hammer. The hammer itself has never been recovered, if you accept it was a hammer.'
Grant was seen on CCTV putting a bag in a refuse bin after the killing and buying cigarettes and drinks at a Scotmid store with a large amount of cash in his wallet.
No money was recovered when police searched Ms Donaghy's home following the slaying and no murder weapon was found, however, a witness said Grant had made attempts to buy hundreds of pounds worth of drugs afterwards.
Following the sentencing, her grieving mother, Amanda Gow, said: 'Life without Keshia will never be the same. She was my only daughter and my first born. Her two daughters will have to live their lives without their mum.
'I still cannot get my head around the fact that she is gone and that her life was taken in such a brutal way.'
She thanked for police and everyone who's supported the family and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said: 'My thoughts remain with Keshia's family and friends as they continue to try to come to terms with what happened. I hope the verdict will bring them some form of justice.
'This was a complex enquiry and I would like to thank the local community for their patience and assistance throughout our investigation.
'Grant now faces the consequences of his actions.'