A man who murdered an artist after he ambushed her walking her dog near a Kent beach has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25-and-a-half years.
Claire Knights, 54, was reported missing on August 23 2023 and was discovered dead by her family between St Nicholas at Wade and Minnis Bay while they were carrying out searches for her on August 25.
The mother from Upstreet, near Canterbury, was believed to have been walking her white and brown spaniel called Zebulon to the Minnis Bay area of Birchington before the attack.
Claire Knights was murdered (Kent Police/PA)
Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25-and-a-half years by Mr Justice Garnham at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to Ms Knights’ murder.
Van-Pooss ambushed Ms Knights while she walked back to her car from the beach, sexually assaulted her, killed her and then concealed her body, the court heard.
He then took her dog, which was still with him when he was arrested by police, to a nearby shop and bought it treats.
The 21-year-old, of Margate, also pleaded guilty to an offence of upskirting, by using a mobile phone under a woman’s clothing without her consent for the purpose of sexual gratification, in a separate incident the day before the murder on August 22, and was sentenced to one month in prison, to run concurrently.