Meals on wheels delivery driver jailed for pensioner's murder 25 years after killing

Raymond Kay caught using modern DNA techniques

(SWNS)

A “meals on wheels” delivery driver who strangled an 86-year-old woman with a tea towel before sexually assaulting her and slashing her throat has been convicted 25 years after the “horrific and brutal” murder.

Raymond Kay, 70, was given a life sentence at Bradford Crown Court for killing Amy Shepherd in her sheltered accommodation on 2 August 1994.

The jury heard how Kay had delivered meals her on wheels for some time as part of a community service punishment for previous offences.

Despite Ms Shepherd being very security conscious, she likely recognised Kay and allowed him into her Bradford home, the court heard.

Several items, including a ring, were missing from her home, suggesting the motive may have been robbery, prosecutors told the court.

“This was a horrific and brutal attack upon a defenceless, elderly lady in her own home. Kay targeted her because of her vulnerability, conning his way into her flat and attacking her with shocking force," said Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson Samantha Davidson.

The conviction follows a recent investigation by West Yorkshire Police’s Cold Case team, which looks into unsolved murders and serious sexual offences.

Kay was identified from a variety of DNA swabs preserved from the scene, including a hair found on Ms Shepherd’s neck and on the tea towel used to strangle her.

Both were subjected to contemporary testing methods.

It also emerged that in 1973, he was convicted of robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm on an elderly lady in Exeter.

Detective Superintendent Chris Gibson, who led the latest investigation, said: “Kay might have thought that he had ‘got away’ with what he did but the advances in DNA techniques mean that we are increasingly able to bring people to justice for their crimes, even if they were committed many years previously.”

In a statement, Miss Shepherd’s family said: “Amy was such a lovely, harmless old lady who did not deserve the cruelty she endured. There has not been a day which has gone by since that fateful day when we have not thought about her. We talk about her often and miss her dearly, even after so many years.

“Not knowing who had committed such an awful crime has caused us severe anxiety, upset and at times, depression. It has had a huge impact on our family and hearing that someone was finally charged with her murder has given us hope that we can finally have some closure.”

Kay will serve a minimum sentence of 17 years before he is eligible for parole.

Additional reporting by Press Association