Catherine's killer jailed for life

Forty-six year old Clive Sharp has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 37 year old Offaly vet Catherine Gowing. Sharp must serve a minimum of 37 years in jail before being considered for parole, Mr Justice Griffith-Williams said in Mold Crown Court in Wales this morning (Monday).

Clareen woman Catherine Gowing disappeared from her home in New Brighton in Flintshire, Wales last October. Her remains were later recovered in Sealand and the River Dee after the biggest search operation in the history of the North Wales Police Force. Sharp was arrested later in the same month and charged with her murder.

Mr Justice Griffith-Williams told Sharp in January he would receive a life sentence for the crime, but adjourned sentencing until today to consider the minimum term Sharp must service before being considered for parole.

Mold Crown Court was told Catherine Gowing was tied up and raped before her murder after Sharp broke into her house. The court also heard details of her body being dismembered.

More than 300 people attended Catherine’s funeral in Kinnitty in January, where her sister Emma told mourners she was “the closest person to perfection”.