Skegness man who murdered girlfriend by setting her on fire is jailed
A man whose girlfriend died two years after he deliberately set her on fire was today jailed for life after he admitted her murder.
Leigh Pateman doused 41-year-old Ellen Marshall in petrol as she sat in a chair before setting her alight at Firbeck Avenue, Skegness, during an argument in April 2021.
Pateman, 45, was jailed in March 2022 for 17 years and 10 months after he admitted a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and it was initially hoped the mother-of-four would survive despite her horrific injuries.
But the Crown Prosecution Service brought a murder charge against Pateman after Ms Marshall died, aged 43, in Nottingham City Hospital on March 11, 2023 - nearly two years from the attack.
Pateman today appeared at Lincoln Crown Court via a video link from HMP Garth where he is currently serving his sentence.
Wearing a black and white t-shirt, Pateman spoke only to confirm his name and showed little emotion as sentence was passed.
Passing a life sentence, Judge Simon Hirst told Pateman he would now have to serve a mininum term of 23 years and 145 days imprisonment before he can be considered for release by a parole board.
"The cause of Ms Marshall's death was pneumonia as a result of the injuries inflicted upon her by you on April 22, 2021," Judge Hirst said.
Judge Hirst told Pateman he was satisfied there was a significant degree of planning to the attack and a pattern of ‘terrifying’ Ms Marshall in the weeks before the attack.
"You had threatened to pour petrol over her and set her alight, and threatened to kill her," Judge Hirst explained.
"You purchased petrol and moved it from the shed to the room where you poured it over Ms Marshall and set her on fire."
Judge Hirst told Pateman: "Ms Marshall endured the most excrutiating pain and suffering from the injuries you inflicted upon her."
The Judge also reminded Pateman of a victim impact statement made by Ms Marshall's daughter, Paige Clarke.
"She ends her statement by saying her mum deserved better," Judge Hirst said.
Pateman was told he would have been sentenced to a minimum term of 27 years imprisonment but had already served over three years in custody
The court heard distressing details of the scene which met fire crews who were called to the couple's shared house in Firbeck Avenue by a neighbour at around 10.30pm on April 22, 2021.
Once inside, they found the living room covered in black smoke and were alerted to the presence of a woman by a gurgling sound.
Prosecutor Sarah Knight said this led rescuers to Ms Marshall, who was writhing around in ‘extreme pain’.
Firefighters discovered Ms Marshall, who was originally from Nottingham, lying on the floor of the property
"There was little hair left on her head," said Miss Knight. "Her face was so badly burnt and scorched it was difficult to make out her facial features.
"Her body was scorched where her clothes would have been."
Ms Marshall managed to give her name and age, and claimed to have caused the injuries herself, but ambulance staff formed the view that was unlikely.
Miss Knight said it was clear at that stage Ms Marshall was still trying to protect Pateman.
One neighbour described hearing Pateman saying ‘he had set fire to her’. Another neighbour heard Ms Marshall screaming and saw Pateman carrying sauces of water to put on Ms Marshall.
Pateman was seen cycling away as the fire crews arrived.
Ms Marshall suffered burns to her face, neck, abdomen, chest and limbs, lost several fingers and sustained serious eye injuries in the attack.
Upon admission to hospital she required mechanical ventilation and her chance of survival was then placed at less than 50%.
She had suffered 80% burns and was taken to Nottingham City Hospital, before being transferred to a specialist burns unit.
Miss Knight said Pateman had made a previous threat to set his partner on fire and had kept the petrol at his property, but she did not believe him.
A neighbour confirmed she had overheard Pateman threatening to set Ms Marshall ‘a light’ several weeks earlier, and a fire reconstruction expert concluded the blaze had been deliberately started using an accelerant.
Pateman was found at his mother's house, where he had gone to bed, covered in soot.
He was arrested and treated for burns before being taken into police custody. A mug shot showed his nose and hair still singed from the fire.
Miss Knight said Ms Marshall was repeatedly re-admitted to the specialist burns unit at Nottingham City Hospital and finally passed away from pneumonia on March 11, 2023.
Two medical experts concluded the longstanding burns suffered by Ms Marshall contributed to her early death.
"For two years she had that to cope with in her life," Miss Knight added.
A moving impact statement from Ms Marshall's daughter, Paige Clarke, was read out in court.
Ms Clarke described how despite her burns Ms Marshall kept fighting to be a mum to her four children and to one day hold her first grandchild.
But Ms Clarke added ‘that day will now never come’.
"She became weaker and weaker as the days went by, but even then she was so strong of heart," Miss Clarke explained.
"The physical, mental and emotional pain that my mother had to go through is almost impossible to put into words," Miss Clarke said.
"She could not bare to look at herself for a year."
Miss Clarke also described how her mother failed to recognise her during her final hospital visit and said it was a moment that would ‘haunt her forever’.
Katherine Goddard KC, defending, said it was accepted that there was no intention to kill Ms Marshall from Pateman, only to cause her grievous bodily harm.
Miss Goddard said Pateman had expressed his sorrow for the experiences endured by Ms Marshall during the last two years of her life and was now taking steps to deal with a lifetime dependency on alcohol.
"He knows there is no real gurantee he will ever be released from custody," Miss Goddard added.
