Samuel Church, 37, who attempted to cover up a murder by setting fire to his victim’s home, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years before parole eligibility. The sentencing follows the refusal of an application to vacate his guilty plea by a judge.
Church, residing on Acacia Avenue, Spalding, had initially pleaded not guilty to the murder of Vincent Markham, aged 52, and arson at Lincoln Crown Court. However, he later entered a guilty plea to both charges before the trial began in February of the previous year.
The sentencing, initially scheduled for May, was adjourned when Church indicated his desire to vacate the guilty plea. In October, an application to vacate the plea was rejected by a judge during a hearing at Warwick Crown Court.
Appearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, 19 January, Church received a 20-year sentence for murder and a concurrent 45-month term for perverting public justice.
Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at Markham’s Farrow Road property on 7 August. Simultaneously, Markham was found in the front garden, initially believed to have died due to the fire. Subsequent investigations revealed he had sustained facial and head injuries, leading to the conclusion that the cause of death was assault.
Church, located in the Broadgate junction area with burn injuries, claimed to have attempted to rescue someone from the fire. Following treatment in the hospital, he was arrested and charged with murder and perverting the course of justice.
Detective Inspector Adrian Czajkowski, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, stated, “The attack that Vincent Markham suffered was brutal, and Church tried to cover his tracks by setting fire to his home to make it look like an accident. These two men were known to one another, and although the motive was not clear, we believe that an ongoing feud may have led to the attack. This was a very tragic incident, and our thoughts are with Mr Markham’s family. We hope today’s result brings some closure to the family.”
