Woman sentenced to life imprisonment for Strood murder

A woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man at his home address in Medway.

Alan Tomkins, 61, lived at a flat in Newark Court, Gun Lane, Strood with his close associate, Nina Mercer.

During the afternoon of 23 July 2024, Mr Tomkins was at home where he received a food delivery. It is believed that Mercer was in the property at the time and, at around 6pm, she stabbed him multiple times.

Following the incident, Mercer fled and met a man she knew, Lee Robinson. The pair returned to the murder scene where Robinson stole Mr Tomkins' wallet and bank card.

Mercer then travelled to Cuxton Leisure Park in the victim's car where it is thought she disposed of her bloodstained clothing.

On 25 July, Mercer returned to the victim’s flat with another associate. He looked through the kitchen window and asked her if Mr Tomkins could be laying on the hallway floor. Mercer dismissively denied this was the case.

Later that evening, Kent Police was contacted after an acquaintance of the victim raised concerns that he had not been seen at work or at a planned meeting on the previous day.

Officers attended his home address and forced entry via the locked front door. They found Mr Tomkins laying deceased in the hallway with a knife protruding from his back. He had suffered six stab wounds.

While officers were at the scene, Nina Mercer walked up to the property and she was arrested.

Investigators subsequently recovered CCTV footage that showed Mercer’s suspicious movements near the victim’s home. Further evidence was recovered when the knife was forensically tested and found to have traces of her DNA.

On 26 July, Robinson and two associates visited a shop in Brompton Lane where the victim’s bank cards were used to make fraudulent purchases. He was arrested on 31 July and taken into custody.

Mercer, 43, of Gun Lane, Strood was charged on 29 July with murder. She pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. Robinson, 45, of Frindsbury Road, Strood denied a charge of assisting an offender but admitted theft and fraud.

Mercer was convicted of murder on Friday 14 March 2025 following a trial. Robinson, was found not guilty of assisting an offender, but was convicted of theft and fraud.

On Tuesday 18 March, Mercer was sentenced. She will have to serve a minimum of 17 years before she is eligible for parole. Robinson was jailed for two years and four months.

Senior investigating officer, DCI Emma Lawry, said:

‘The victim had allowed Nina Mercer to stay at his flat and is thought to have funded her lifestyle. She callously repaid him in a brutal assault with a knife that ended his life.

‘Mercer did not seek medical assistance for Mr Tomkins, but sought to cover her tracks. She denied her guilt, was convicted following a trial and has now been sentenced. I hope this now allows the victim’s relatives and friends some closure following these tragic events.’