Life in prison for Reading man who murdered his girlfriend
45-year-old Ben Shand used a hammer to murder his partner after a violent argument
Last updated 20th Dec 2021
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend.
45-year-old Ben Shand of Crescent Road in Reading, was convicted by unanimous verdict of one count of murder at Reading Crown Court.
He's been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.
Shand was found to have murdered 34-year-old Beth Aspey in an incident which occurred at an address in Laud Close on 30 April this year.
A post mortem revealed that she had died of a blunt force head injury. Shand denied murdering Beth, but the court heard how the pair had argued on the day of her death, resulting in Shand violently assaulting her.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Dejan Avramovic, of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit, said:
“This was a tragic incident, which resulted in a young woman being killed by her partner.
“Beth was killed in her home, where she had a right to feel secure, and was murdered by her partner, around whom she should have felt safe.
“Instead, Shand violently assaulted her, and then tried to cover his tracks by refusing to tell the truth about what had happened.
“Even now, he has not shown any remorse or taken any responsibility for his actions.
“I am pleased for Beth’s family that justice has been served.
“I know that nothing can ever bring Beth to all those who loved her, but I hope that now her friends and family can begin the difficult process of moving on with their lives.”
Her family issued the following tribute to Beth:
"As a family we have been left devastated by the loss of Beth. She had many friends and the love and energy she gave, touched them all. Beth was an outgoing, vibrant and creative spirit, with a love of music, dance and art and loved by so many.
"Words cannot express the depth of our grief at the loss of Beth and the circumstances in which she lost her life have made it so much more difficult for us to deal with as a family.
"Beth will be greatly missed by her family and friends and our fond memories of her will never leave us."