Homeless woman beaten to death in unprovoked attack while she slept on church steps

Killer 'truly did shock myself and the team with his mindless, wilful cruelty', Scotland Yard detective said

Kieran Rifat has been jailed for life at the Old Bailey after he beat Kelly Stewart to death with a rock in Plaistow, east London, as she slept in a church doorway during the first lockdown (Metropolitan Police/PA wire)

A man has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of a homeless woman as she slept in the doorway of a church in east London.

Kelly Stewart, 41, was violently attacked by Kieran Rifat in Newham in March last year, with the 22-year-old striking her with a rock and stamping on her before dragging her into an alley and hitting her with a gas canister.

The body of Ms Stewart, who brought up her family as a single mother before suffering mental health problems later in life, was found the following afternoon after a member of the public noticed blood stains leading to the alleyway.

The 22-year-old Rifat, of Plaistow, pleaded guilty to her murder, and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years on Thursday.

Judge John Hillen QC said “the safety net had failed” Ms Stewart, forcing her to sleep on the street where she was exposed to Rifat’s “protracted and extreme violence”.

The Old Bailey heard her facial injuries were so severe they had left her unrecognisable.

Addressing the defendant in the dock, Judge Hillen said: “As she slept, without warning, you attacked her with a rock and then repeatedly stamped on her, returning again and again to her dead or dying body and stamping again and again with the heel of your foot on her face in an act not merely of violence but of deliberate degradation.

“You dragged her into the alleyway where you attacked her with a large gas canister.”

Relatives described Ms Stewart, who was known to local support services and had left a Newham mental health centre six days before the attack, as a talented artist, designer and cook who also sang and acted.

On the evening of her death a charity worker called out to her as she settled at the Memorial Church in Plaistow to warn her of the risk of the pandemic - saying “Kelly - get off the streets, the corona is coming”.

The timing of the 26 March attack, three days after national stay at home orders were issued to UK residents due to Covid-19, left police without witnesses to the incident - forcing officers to rely on CCTV and the distinctive striped jumper worn by Ms Stewart’s attacker.

Officers later searched an address in Barking to find a selection of bloodied clothes - including the striped top.

While Rifat refused to tell officers why he had carried out the attack, Jennifer Dempster QC told the court he had been prompted by an argument with Ms Stewart’s ex-boyfriend.

The court heard that Ms Stewart and Rifat knew each other through local homelessness services.

In mitigation the lawyer said Rifat, originally from Warwick, had a troubled upbringing, and had issues with drugs and alcohol and had trained as a cook.

She said: “Because of an argument with her ex-boyfriend he accepts he took his anger out on her.”

Bridget Fitzpatrick, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said “This was an unprovoked, vicious attack on a woman in the most vulnerable of positions.

“The strong prosecution case included CCTV footage of the violent attack, which allowed police to go on to identify Rifat as the killer, leaving him with little choice but to admit his guilt.”

Detective Inspector Darren Jones, of Scotland Yard, said: “I have been a detective for years and investigated many violent cases, but Rifat’s attack truly did shock myself and the team with his mindless, wilful cruelty.

“Kelly was peacefully sleeping on church steps when she was attacked, and had done nothing to provoke Rifat’s terrible actions. I do not know what went through his mind when he targeted her and, to this day, he has still not explained why he did what he did.

“Our thoughts remain with Kelly’s family throughout this very painful time.”

Additional reporting by agencies