Boy, 13, guilty of murdering Glynis Bensley

Miss Bensley, 47, was punched in the head and had her face stamped on before she was stripped of her money, mobile phone, cigarettes and jewellery.

The 13-year-old is one of the youngest in the UK to ever be convicted of murder following the attack, on September 3 last year on Cheshire Road, Smethwick.

We are unable to express in words the impact that our loss is having on our family.

Whilst we get on with the day-to-day trivialities of life, the circumstances of Glynis' death remind us all of the important things in life.

At the time of Glynis' death she was upbeat and looking forward to family holidays and celebrations including her own birthday later that month.

Glynis spent her life caring for others working in roles for the British Heart Foundation, animal welfare, and was also an active fundraiser for charity's Cancer Research, Mencap and Cystic Fibrosis.

The family would like to acknowledge and thank the Family Liaison Team for taking us through this dark period.

Fellow defendant 20-year-old Zoheb Majid, of Cheshire Road, was found guilty of manslaughter and robbery.

A trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the pair had planned a robbery two weeks before the killing.

The victim, of Rosefield Road, had been at the Seven Stars pub when she was targeted on Cheshire Road, near to the junction with High Street.

The young killer hit her, knocking her to the ground, before he was joined by Majid on a bicycle.

They robbed her and the youngster stamped on the victim's face with such force that he left a footprint on her cheek.

She died from a severe bleed on the brain.

The youngster fled to nearby Victoria Park, where he was overheard talking about the incident. Majid was overheard at the park talking about selling a gold bracelet.

The youngster handed himself in to police five days later, and Majid was arrested two days after that.

Both claimed to have believed the victim was a man due to her clothing and hairstyle.

Det Ch Insp Sam Ridding said: "It was clearly the joint intention of the pair to use violence on anyone they targeted: they were in it together as the CCTV showed - they arrived within seconds of each other.

"Ms Bensley was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time and was randomly picked out by the pair believing that she was a man and that she was wearing a gold bracelet. The brutal attack was captured on CCTV lasting 32 seconds.

"Our thoughts remain with Glynis' family at this time and we hope that today's verdict will provide some help in their grieving process."