Susan Whiting: We hope the guilty verdicts bring family peace

Steven Beards was jailed for at least 33 years for murdering and raping 20-year-old Susan Whiting at the bungalow of his wife on Heather Close in Bloxwich.

His wife Julie Beards, 36, was yesterday found guilty of her manslaughter and will learn her punishment at a later date.

Supt Mark Payne, at West Midlands Police, today welcomed the verdicts reached by the jury following a five week trial at Leicester Crown Court.

He said: "We are delighted the jury have come to the verdict they have.

"What we know is that Susan Whiting was a trusting and vulnerable young lady and over the course of the evening a drug was administered to Susan that she was then raped and then brutally murdered in a really horrible way.

"We are very pleased the jury have found as they have and we hope it will bring some peace to Susan's family."

But the force chief admitted that it was still not conclusive if the intention was simply to rape Susan, killing her spontaneously when it went wrong, or to murder the vulnerable woman, who had learning difficulties, from the beginning.

The prosecution case was that Julie Beards had fallen out with Susan, of Station Street, and had acquired a hypnotic sedative Zopiclone from neighbour Matthew Herbert, testing the drug on him first before it was used on Miss Whiting.

The young woman was then raped and fatally struck with a hammer by 34-year-old Steven Beards, previously of Rowland Avenue.

Det Supt Payne added: "There appears to have been a sexual theme. We know that Susan was raped before she was killed and it is probable that the administration of the drug and subsequent rape of Susan shows that there was quite a strong sexual element to this murder.]

He added: "What we have seen is a lot of planning that has gone into acquiring the drug and the administration of the drug that we believe led to the rape.

"Whether the murder was planned or a spontaneous act because Susan was not acquiescent and resisted or Susan actually was not affected by the drug as expected we will simply never know. What we do know is that as a result of their actions a vulnerable and trusting young lady is dead and the evil brutality of these acts really is shocking."

When it emerged Ms Whiting had gone missing, but never left the bungalow after visiting for a sleepover, police discovered the body hidden wrapped in a shower curtain under a divan bed. Officers carried out an extensive forensic examination of the property which painted the picture of what happened relatively quickly.

Det Supt Payne said: "We uncovered significant forensic evidence that linked the suspects to the crime. We found some pre-planning in terms of the acquisition of a drug that was administered to Susan and we found that drug had been tested on a neighbour.

"We then saw quite a lot of effort had gone into covering up this murder.

"We saw the secretion of Susan's body in a divan bed and really that the evil thought and the planning that had gone into this crime told us everything we needed to know about both Steven."

Susan's mother Maureen Whiting has paid tribute to her 'loving, easy going' daughter.

She said: "Susan's death is such a tremendous loss to our family. She was just 20 years old an easy going, loving, young lady enjoying her life. I know she was loved and will be missed by so many people."