A man got 24 years in prison for raping and killing a mother of two by pouring gasoline on her and setting her on fire while she was still alive.
Rhys Bennett admitted that on September 17, 2022, he sexually assaulted and killed Jill Barclay in Aberdeen. The judge who gave him his sentence called the crimes “medieval in their cruelty.”
Before the attack, Bennett didn’t know the 47-year-old woman. He met her while she was out on a night out. He and his coworkers had been drinking at a bar in the Dyce neighborhood of the city, where his victim was also spending time.
The 23-year-old followed her as she went home and then attacked her with what the judge, Lord Arthurson, called “clearly extreme, sustained, and frankly feral violence.”
Ms. Barclay’s partner and two children, ages 6 and 8, were left behind. “She was a deeply loved life partner, mother, and daughter,” her family said.
The tweet below verifies the news:
A man has been jailed for 24 years for raping and murdering a mother-of-two after pouring petrol on her and setting her alight while she was still alive https://t.co/L849jtREOh
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 24, 2023
In a statement made after Bennett was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh, they said, “We would like to thank family, friends, and the community for their comforting support since Jill’s tragic death while we waited for justice.
“She didn’t deserve to die that day, and certainly not in such a horrible way. This man has taken so much from us and changed our lives for good.”
Bennett, who was from Ballingry, Fife, followed her from the pub to a run-down house in Dyce called Farburn Gatehouse. Before striking Ms. Barclay, who worked for the company Petrofac, the worker hid.
He hurt Ms. Barclay by hitting and kicking her over and over, stamping on her head and body, and hitting her head against a drain pipe.
During the attack, Bennett also raped her, and the prosecutor, Lorraine Glancy KC, said that he went back to his place and got his things.
When he got back, Ms. Barclay was still alive, but he couldn’t get her into his van. He went to the car and got a can of gasoline. He poured it over her body and set her on fire.
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Bennett Says He Doesn’t Remember
Bennett wore a grey tracksuit to the High Court when he stood in the dock. He also said that he tried to stop justice by setting fire to the clothes he wore.
Lord Anderson told him that he would have to spend at least 24 years in jail before he could be released. He was also put on the list of sex criminals for life.
Iain McSporran KC, who was defending his client, said that his client had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and had “no recollection” of the attack. He said, though, that Bennett wanted to say he was wrong.
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