'We still have questions' say children of murdered woman who vanished in Dudley nearly 30 years ago
The self-confessed killer got away with murder for nearly 30 years
The children of a woman who vanished without trace almost 30 years ago say they still have unanswered questions as her killer was jailed for life.
Trevor Dunkley was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 10 years and 10 months, minus 120 days he has already served on remand since he was arrested this summer for the murder of Patricia Lashley, known as Jade, in Dudley in September 1998.
Three of Ms Lashley’s seven children were present at the hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court this afternoon to see the 66-year-old sent down for beating her to death and disposing of her remains in a dustbin.
Speaking to the Express & Star afterwards her son Suleyman Mehmet referred to a 2003 change in the law which meant sentences for murders in certain domestic circumstances were increased.
Because the murder was committed in 1998, Judge Michael Chambers KC said he was dutybound to sentence Dunkley based on the older legislation.
Mr Mehmet said: “The length of the sentence is ridiculous. If she had died after 2003 it would have been closer to 30 years which was the length of time that we have been affected.
“I lived with my nan for a few years then went into foster care because nan died young, when she was about 60. She was in effect my mother figure and when she passed away it was like losing mum all over again. I lived in 40 different foster homes in south Wales.
“Eventually I settled and since then I have done OK in life. Some of my siblings have struggled as a result of what happened to us.”
The 37-year-old marketing officer said: “The whereabouts of my mother has been a big question mark right through my whole life. The biggest thing for me now is that Trevor Dunkley is 66.
“He is going to spend 10 years in jail getting medical care and three meals a day. It doesn’t feel like he’s getting the punishment he deserves. He has already lived his working life. This is something I’m going to have to accept.”
“I always thought there was a chance she had changed her identity, got a new name or something like that. I had a lot of questions growing up. I thought I had been abandoned,” he added.
His eldest brother Sinan Mehmet, aged 39, of Somerset, had taken part in previous missing persons appeals in a bid to find her.
Sinan, a YouTuber, said: “It’s been pretty overwhelming. This has been a major impact in all of our lives in the last 28 years.
“We could have said justice has been served, but we’ve got nothing back - not got our mum back, we haven’t even got remains back. We’ve just got some kind of closure because Trevor’s admitted this now.
“It’s never going to end our questions. Me and Destine have got children, there’s grandchildren as well. We’ve got to explain this to them.
Ms Lashley’s only daughter Destine, aged 35 of Newport, Gwent, added that she could now send her mother on her way “in peace”.
The victim, who had previously been married, had four other sons.
Her mother Anne Smyth and her sister Rose Barrett reported her missing in 1999 and public appeals resulted in media coverage including by the Express & Star, Esther Rantzen, breakfast show Good Morning Britain, and magazine The Big Issue.