Man guilty of 'brutal' murder of girlfriend

A man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend in a "heavy, brutal and sustained" attack.

Warren Spence, 55, killed 44-year-old Samantha Varley, whose body was found in the Leeds flat the couple shared on 12 February last year.

Spence was convicted by a jury following a trial at Leeds Crown Court, which lasted two-and-a-half weeks.

He will be sentenced on 24 March.

At the start of the trial, the prosecution said the couple's relationship was characterised by Spence's "controlling behaviour towards Miss Varley and indiscriminate use of violence towards her".

It was said the victim had visited Leeds' domestic violence service in the week before her body was found in the Harehills property with bite marks, as well as head, chest and leg injuries.

The jury was told Spence had previous convictions for attacking, threatening and harassing previous partners.

Police bodycam footage from New Year's Eve 2023, which was played to the jury showed a visibly shaken Miss Varley telling officers: "He's just not a nice man.

"I'm terrified. I asked to go and be moved away from here but nobody listens. What am I supposed to do?"

Spence was arrested in Scarborough three days after Miss Varley's body was found, having travelled there by bus from Leeds earlier that day.

The court heard that when officers approached him sitting on a wall outside the town's railway station, Spence gave them a false name and age and after being detained refused to answer any questions during a police interview.

He had denied being present at the time of Miss Varley's murder.

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