Man found guilty of murdering 86-year-old Wisbech widow
David Newton has been standing trial for the murder of Una Crown
A man has been found guilty for the murder of an 86-year-old woman in Wisbech.
David Newton, 70 of Magazine Close is due to be sentenced at Cambridge Crown court tomorrow.
Newton - who has been standing trial for almost four weeks - had denied killing Una Crown, whose body was found at her home in Magazine Lane on January 13, 2013.
On that day, Mrs Crown - a retired postmistress - was found with stab wounds to her chest, her throat cut and her clothing set on fire.
Newton was charged with murdering Mrs Crown's murder the day before.
Today the defendant, wearing a burgundy jumper with dark rimmed glasses, stood in the dock at Cambridge Crown Court to hear the verdict.
This week, prosecutor John Price KC said it would be a "series of truly remarkable coincidences which must’ve occurred if in fact David Newton is not the person who stabbed and killed Una Crown."
His defence barrister, Henry Grunwald KC, argued that DNA found on Mrs Crown's nail clippings may not be Newton's and that there is "no research" on where the match may have come from.
The trial has heard how DNA samples were taken from Mrs Crown's nail clippings in 2013.
But after they were re-examined in 2023, male DNA was found which prosecutors say likely came from Newton as no male relatives lived nearby.
A former police officer - who investigated the case at the time of Mrs Crown's death - admitted that "mistakes were made" in how the force treated the initial investigation.
Police had treated Mrs Crown's death as non-suspicious.
Newton had not given evidence to jurors and his legal team did not call on any witnesses for the defence.
“Today we have finally secured justice for Una and her family 12 years after her death," Detective Superintendent Iain Moor, senior investigating officer, said.
“Mistakes were made during the initial investigation in 2013, for which we have apologised to Una’s family.
“We acknowledge those errors and apologise it has taken this long for Una’s family to get justice.
"However, my aim as the senior investigating officer when I took on this role in the past few years was to make sure they didn't wait any longer."
Mr Moor said the re-examination of DNA underneath Mrs Crown's fingernails - taken from the crime scene in 2013 - proved "so crucial" in the investigation.
“The DNA allowed us to cast doubt on David Newton’s claims that he hadn’t seen Una on the day, or days, before her death and place him at the scene of her murder," he said.
"For more than a decade he thought he had gotten away with this most horrendous crime, but today’s result shows you cannot hide forever.
"I would like to commend the 2013 team and current investigation team for their painstaking work. We have been supported by incredible experts, witnesses and specialists who have helped us discover who was responsible."
Mr Moor said more than 10,000 items of material were sorted through as part of the investigation, the largest amount of disclosure items the force has seen.
“In 2013 an 86-year-old widow was robbed of her life," he added.
"Nothing can take the pain of this heart-breaking case away, but I hope today’s verdict gives Una’s family the closure they deserve and the answers they have longed for.
"My thoughts are very much with them at this time.
“This case demonstrates the police commitment to continually reviewing unsolved cases and seeking new lines of enquiry; no unsolved murder case is ever closed.”