Katie Kenyon: Man pleads guilty to murdering mother-of-two day after digging grave

Andrew Burfield sent messages to himself and Katie Kenyon’s children from her phone, court was told

Andrew Burfield, 51, has pleaded guilty to the murder of Katie Kenyon (PA Media)

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering mother-of-two Katie Kenyon and burying her in a grave that he dug one day before she died.

Andrew Burfield, 51, admitted murdering the 33-year-old and burying her in the Forest of Bowland, in Lancashire, on the third day of his trial at Preston Crown Court.

He was re-arraigned on the charge on Wednesday morning and the jury in the case formally found him guilty.

His trial heard he killed Ms Kenyon, of Padiham, Burnley, on 22 April and buried her body in the forest. Burfield then sent messages to himself and her children from her phone, the jury was told.

Opening the trial on Monday, David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, told the jury Burfield was arrested following Ms Kenyon’s disappearance and interviewed four times, initially denying any knowledge of her whereabouts.

Andrew Burfield in a court sketch from earlier this year (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

In his penultimate interview there was a “revelation” and his version of events changed, Mr McLachlan said.

Burfield, of Todmorden Road, Burnley, told police he had taken Ms Kenyon, who he had been in a relationship with since 2019, to Gisburn Forest for a picnic and she had “bet” him he could not hit her can of Coke with his axe.

The court heard he told police: “I went for the tree at the side of her and it, it hit her in (her) head.”

He claimed she had been hit with the back of the axe and she had no other injuries, but the jury heard a post mortem showed she was struck an estimated 12 times.

Ms Kenyon’s body was discovered by police on 29 April.

Burfield is due to be sentenced on Thursday at 10.30am.