Evil monster repeatedly stabbed vulnerable woman before having sex with her body
An evil monster who murdered a vulnerable woman and raped her body has been jailed for life.
After Joe Rankin murdered Emma Potter, 40, at her home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, he raped her body and left it there, where it lay undiscovered for six weeks. The 34-year-old’s actions were described as "an act of gross desecration and insult" and he was only rumbled after he told a friend what he had done. His friend then promptly informed the police.
After being arrested, Rankin confessed to a psychiatrist that he had gone to Emma’s flat on September 20, last year, in order to kill her. He also said he then had sex with her dead body.
Emma Potter, 40, was found dead at her flat six weeks after she was killed (PA)Sentencing Rankin to a life sentence, Judge Peter Blair, Recorder for Bristol, ordered that he must serve 24 years before being considered for release on licence. Christopher Quinlan KC, prosecuting, told the court that after Emma had been repeatedly stabbed by Rankin, her body lay undiscovered in her flat before she was found by police on 4 November.
Six days later, Rankin admitted the killing to his friend, Joshua Tucker-Bradshaw, who informed the police of the confession. Officers were then able to place Rankin, of Stroud, at the scene on the night of Emma’s death through his mobile phone.
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CCTV also showed Rankin returning to Emma’s flat eight days later, on 28 September. Police have never been able to ascertain the reason for this, but believe he may have been trying to eliminate evidence.
In mitigation, Rankin’s solicitor David Aubrey said Rankin had a history of mental health issues and drug addiction. During the sentencing today, Emma’s adopted mother Jenny gave a victim impact statement, explaining the effect that the murder had on her family.
She said: “How do we parents bear it, we who had cherished her as a beautiful baby? How can her murderer live with the knowledge of what he has done to a fellow human being? Did she try to escape those thrusts and stabs? Or did an early blow silence her quickly and forever? We will never know but these images will stay with us always.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, paid tribute to Emma’s family.
He said: “I want to thank them for the poise and dignity they have shown throughout this case. This was a horrific murder and they have displayed incredible bravery. I know this sentence will bring a sense of comfort for them as their daughter’s killer faces a long stay in prison.”
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