24 year prison sentence for man who killed wife in Cambridgeshire
Robert Hammond was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court today
Last updated 23rd Jul 2024
A man who murdered his wife in Cambridgeshire has been jailed for 24 years.
Robert Hammond, 47 has been on trial for the murder of his wife Sian in Primes Corner, Histon in October last year.
The court had heard the defendant faced a "surging mountain of debt and financial pressures" and his wife's life insurance policy was for a ÂŁ450,000 payout in the event of her death, prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said.
Karim Khalil KC, defending, said Hammond and his wife Sian were "a wonderful loving couple and devoted themselves to their children", told the court that medical evidence showed there were no signs of a 'crushing' injury on Sian at the time of her death.
The court heard that Hammond, 47, had been attempting to delay payments to HMRC and a financial company by making false claims, including fabrications about having cancer and undergoing a divorce. He sought to benefit from his wife’s life insurance policy, which was valued at £450,000. After Sian’s death, Hammond told a financial company that he would now be able to resolve his debts.
Hammond called the police at 2am the day after the murder, claiming he had found Sian, 46, unresponsive. He consistently denied any wrongdoing. However, a jury at Cambridge Crown Court delivered a unanimous guilty verdict for murder on 17 July.
Today, Hammond was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years at the same court.
Detective Inspector Richard Stott from the Beds, Cambs and Herts Major Crime Unit remarked on the case: “The pathology played a key part in this investigation, and this started to show how Mr Hammond had lied about how his wife had died. His greed and fear of losing his public standing led to him murdering his wife to benefit from her life insurance and to continue to hide his debt and lies.”
DI Stott added: “Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Sian; she was a loved and well-liked person and an active and successful businesswoman.”
Sian Hammond’s family issued a statement saying, “Everyone that knew her would agree Sian was one of the friendliest people you could have the pleasure of meeting, and she will be sorely missed by many.”
The court was informed that on the day of the murder, Hammond and Sian had spent time together shopping and using their home gym. CCTV footage from their home confirmed that no other person entered or left the house that night, ruling out the involvement of any third parties.
Hammond was arrested on 10 November but continued to assert his innocence. Investigations revealed that he had been postponing debt payments by making fraudulent claims. He had also recently reinstated Sian’s life insurance policy.
Forensic evidence presented in court indicated that Sian’s death was caused by compression of the neck, consistent with a struggle, contradicting Hammond’s account of the events.