Sunderland student jailed for life for murder
Alexander Carr admitted murdering Michelle Hanson in late 2022
Last updated 16th Jun 2023
A Sunderland student who admitted stabbing a grandmother in the neck has been jailed for life.
33 year old Alexander Carr went on the run after he murdered Michelle Hanson in December 2022.
The 47-year-old was a much-loved grandmother who was found dead at her home in Brady Street, Sunderland, having suffered suspected stab wounds.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how on the evening of the 1st December 2022 Michelle had been at home having a takeaway with Carr. It was said that someone else visiting her was concerned about Carr's behaviour, saying he was 'acting nuts' and speaking in ‘different accents’ and was drinking a lot. But she reassured them that she was fine.
On the 3rd of December she was found dead with multiple stab wounds, with at least 29 uses of a knife or knives used to inflict both stab and slash wounds, the deepest being seven centimetres deep.
In his summary before sentencing, Judge Paul Sloan KC said Carr became 'increasingly anxious and paranoid' believing he was going to be harmed.
The judge said he had no doubt the cause of his paranoia was from his 'voluntary use of potent skunk cannabis and alcohol' which led to his baseless fears, culminating in this brutal attack.
The court heard Carr then fled out of the bathroom window, did not alert the emergency services - even anonymously - and went home for a sleep before going on the run.
An appeal was made to find Carr and he was arrested almost 3 weeks later in North London on 21st December.
He had been living in a tent pitched on an embankment near a railway station and was armed with a hunting knife.
Carr was named as the prime suspect as he was the last person to be seen with the mother-of-three at her flat, where investigators found discarded knives and forensic evidence linked to the defendant.
He was a student at the University of Sunderland, is from Wearside, and had links to London and several parts of the North East.
During the search for him, police said he was thought to have some survival skills and could have been hiding outdoors.
Judge Paul Sloan KC handed down a life sentence at Newcastle Crown Court today with a minimum term of 19 years and 3 months.
Michelle’s daughter Shannon Brown, read out a powerful victim impact statement in court which read: “My mam was taken in such a vicious and mindless attack. We believe that her last moments would have been spent in fear.
“To think she welcomed this evil person into her house as a friend is unbearable. He has taken advantage of a vulnerable, kind and loving woman.
“It is horrific to know he towered over her in both height and strength and my mam was defenceless. This is something we must all try and live with.
“Carr stole the last moments I should have had with my mam and I couldn’t say goodbye and never got tell her how much we all loved her. His cowardly actions of running away meant I had to wait over three weeks before I could see my mam in the chapel of rest and I wasn’t able to touch her face or kiss her cheek.
“My mam was a kind and caring woman with a huge heart. She had an infectious smile, a brilliant sense of humour. She was a character and was always vulnerable to people taking advantage of her. But she would never hurt anyone and always saw the good in people.
“We all feel lost without her. I would speak to her regularly, she was the first person I’d turn to if I was happy, sad or angry. She was my best friend. She was my rock.”
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr of Northumbria Police, said: “This has been a horrific ordeal for Michelle’s family and I hope today can help them as they begin to move on with their lives and accept her tragic loss.
“They have shown real courage and strength since this investigation was launched and I want to thank them for all they have done to help us put Carr behind bars for his vile actions.
“Carr has shown no remorse and has never provided an explanation for why he murdered Michelle – a woman who invited him into her home as a friend. He killed her in her own home and then fled thinking we would never catch him. This is evident in the way he speaks to us during his arrest, genuinely shocked that the law had caught up with him.
“Carr’s conviction and sentence shows that violence will never go unpunished and that dangerous people like Carr do not have a place in our communities.
“Michelle had a family and thanks to Carr they now have to live their lives without her and it is only right he now serves a lengthy sentence.
“I’d like to thank everyone who helped us bring Carr to justice for their efforts. From the officers and staff here in Northumbria, to the public who helped with our appeal, as well as our colleagues across the country, including the Metropolitan Police Service and criminal justice teams.”"It's heartbreaking for us as a family to know we will never see her again."