Woman jailed for grandmother murder

A woman who murdered her grandmother in a "frenzied" and "cold-blooded" attack after plundering her savings account was jailed for life today.

Sheila Jones, 36, from Norton Canes, Cannock, was told she must serve a minimum term of 22 years and six months after admitting the killing of 92-year-old Daisy Myring.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that Jones stole around £7,000 from the pensioner, killing her to silence her when she became suspicious.

The great-grandmother died on May 31 this year at her home in the Brownhills area of the West Midlands.

She was found lying badly beaten and calling for help on the floor of the bedroom by a carer.

The court heard she had suffered a number of blows to the head, and extensive bruising to her face and upper body, including two black eyes, a fractured collar bone and a dislocated shoulder joint.

She was pronounced dead in hospital hours after she was found.

Prosecutor Gareth Walters told the court that Jones, a mother-of-two, helped out with Mrs Myring's care as well as "looking after her finances".

The pensioner, who was partially blind and suffered from a heart condition, also had four visits a day from professional carers who administered her medication.

Mr Walters said that over a course of eight months last year Jones withdrew £6,800 from her grandmother's account in 14 separate transactions.

She continued to withdraw money at the beginning of 2011, making the total stolen from the account around £7000, the court was told.

The court heard that Jones had gone to her grandmother's home at some time during the night of May 30 or the early hours of the next morning, with a torch and a pillow.

Mrs Myring had voiced concerns about Jones and her building society account to her carers and other family members, and was due to visit the building society on the day of her death.

Mr Walters told the court she was "distraught" about the missing money, and had sobbed to a carer about it.

He said Jones had been intending to smother her grandmother during the night to prevent the theft coming to light. She was "hoping to put it down to Daisy's poor heart", he said.

PA