Man who killed Plymouth teen Bobbi-Anne McLeod told he may die in prison
Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner says she hopes he will never be released
Last updated 20th May 2022
A judge has warned the man who murdered Plymouth teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod he may never be released from prison.
24-year-old Cody Ackland from the Southway area of the city was jailed for life on Thursday, after pleading guilty last year.
The musician was handed a minimum sentence of 31 years when he appeared at Plymouth Crown Court.
Ackland was unknown to the police when he bludgeoned Miss McLeod with a claw hammer in what was described as a “prolonged, savage and merciless attack”.
Miss McLeod had been waiting for a bus at around 6pm on November 20th, when Ackland struck her twice with a hammer.
He then drove the semi-conscious teenager to the Bellever Forest car park on Dartmoor and killed her.
Ackland burnt Bobbi-Anne's handbag, before taking her to Bovisand, dumping her body and going on to party with friends.
Three days later, Ackland turned himself in and confessed, telling detectives where he had left his victim.
On Thursday evening, Plymouth's Smeaton's Tower was lit up orange, the colour recognised to unite the world in ending all violence against women.
In a victim impact statement, Miss McLeod’s family said: “Our lives have changed forever. We have not been able to say goodbye to Bobbi-Anne and we can only imagine the things he did to her – the thoughts are continually going around in our minds.
“Why Bobbi-Anne? Why make her suffer? To know her final hours were spent being tortured destroys us inside".
The court heard Ackland had a "morbid fascination" with serial killers, in particular Ted Bundy.
Judge Robert Linford told Ackland: “On November 20th last year you subjected Bobbi-Anne McLeod to a prolonged, savage and merciless attack".
He continued: "She was a young, popular and much-loved person, you caused outrage and fear in this part of the country and with good reason, it was utterly motiveless".
Judge Lindford told Ackland that he would remain indefinitely a “highly dangerous person”, adding: "There is a strong possibility you may never be released from prison".
He later added: "I am satisfied so that I am sure, based upon all the material I have read, that you were planning to kill.
"I cannot be satisfied to the required standard that as you drove to Plymouth on the evening of November 20 you had a settled intention to kill that night, but it was only going to be a matter of time".
Speaking after the sentencing, Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, praised the compassion and professionalism of detectives.
Commissioner Hernandez said: "This case illustrates the best and worst in humanity. The worst in a killer who showed such incredible cruelty to his victim and the best in the community in Plymouth who expressed an outpouring of grief and support for Bobbi-Anne’s family.
"I hope her loved ones and the community take some solace in the fact that that he is locked up and police have investigated this case with professionalism and compassion, even though nothing will ease the devastation of losing Bobbi-Anne, a much-loved young woman.
"This case has touched the hearts of people around the country. No reasonable person could ever fathom the actions of this murderer and I hope, for public safety and reassurance, that he’s never released".
Commissioner Hernandez also said the case highlighted the challenging job serious crime investigators do.
"The culprit was not known to police as a victim or suspect, his horrendous crime was not apparently driven by sexual desire or by psychiatric disorder,” she added.
"To hear a senior detective like Chief Superintendent Mike West describe this type of behaviour as ‘unheard of’ highlights the exceptionally difficult work police officers carry out to secure justice for families.
"I am always asking myself whether there is anything I can do as a Commissioner to help investigators and wider society better identify the type of individual who might go on to commit acts of gratuitous violence. It is with these thoughts that the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police and I established the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership.
"For this to be successful it requires us all to be committed to working together and new approaches to be explored. Much work remains to be done but today my heart goes out to Bobbi-Anne’s loved ones".
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