Bognor Regis murder: Wayne Morris jailed for lockdown killing of partner
A man has been jailed for killing his partner days after he moved in with her during the first wave of the pandemic.
Wayne Morris admitted killing Ruth Brown in her Bognor Regis home but claimed he could not remember what happened because he was drunk. The 47-year-old carried out "a violent and sustained attack" with a plastic tray after an argument, police said. He was convicted of murder at Brighton Crown Court and will serve at least 17 years. The court had heard that the pair had been in a relationship for several years, but lived separately. At the start of April 2020, Morris moved from his home in Larch Close, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and into Ms Brown's home in nearby Collyer Avenue, because of the coronavirus pandemic. On 11 April, after not being able to contact her, Ms Brown's family went to the property and found her dead in bed. Police said she had suffered severe and repeated head injuries, and that she had actually died in the kitchen and her body been moved upstairs. The 52-year-old had been struck with a plastic tray, parts of which were found in the kitchen and a bin outside the house. Morris was arrested in Sandown on the Isle of Wight the following day. Ruth Brown's brother, Frank Brown, said: "My sister Ruth was taken from us in the most terrible and tragic of circumstances. "Wayne Morris has said on several occasions during this trial that he will have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. He is not the only one". Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service - GOV.UK