Granddaughter jailed for Daisy Myring murder
A woman who battered her 92-year-old grandmother to death after stealing her life savings has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years and six months.
Daisy Myring was found with injuries to her head and body at her home in Brownhills, Walsall, West Midlands, and died hours later on 31 May.
Sheila Jones, 36, of Brownhills Road, Norton Canes, Staffordshire, admitted murder at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Prosecutors said she stole more than £6,000 from Mrs Myring.
Detectives investigating the pensioner's death said a post-mortem examination revealed she died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and body.
The court heard how she had suffered several blows to the head. A carer found her in a confused state, lying on the floor and calling for help.
She had extensive bruising to her face and upper body, including two black eyes, a fractured collar bone and a dislocated shoulder joint. She died a few hours later.
Mrs Myring had been beaten with a plastic stool and had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, the court heard.
Police stopped Jones two days later carrying two bin bags. In one was a white pillow and in the second there was the plastic chair she had used to kill her grandmother, which still had traces of Mrs Myring's blood on it, the prosecutor said.
Prosecutor Gareth Walters, said Jones, a mother-of-two, had used her position as one of her grandmother's carers to "look after her finances".
The court heard that over a period of eight months last year Jones withdrew £6,800 from her grandmother's account in 14 separate transactions and continued to withdraw money at the start of 2011.
Mrs Myring's suspicions were aroused when she realised that a substantial amount of money was missing from her bank account.
The day before Mrs Myring planned to visit the building society in person, Jones went over to the house with a torch and a pillow, the court heard.
Mr Walters said she had been intending to smother her grandmother during the night to prevent the theft coming to light.
She was "hoping to put it down to Daisy's poor heart," he told the court.
The prosecution surmised that "something went wrong" with the smothering plan and Jones improvised, resulting in "a frenzied attack".
Judge Phillip Parker QC told Jones: "You went there to kill her. It was motivated by a desire to silence her and an attempt to stop any investigation into the fact that you were stealing from her."
He said the crime took place in Mrs Myring's home on a defenceless woman.
"In any view, she must have been conscious for some hours simply praying for assistance to come.
"Taking her savings was callous and cruel, but taking her life was unforgivable," he added.
Speaking on behalf of the rest of the family after the sentencing, Mrs Myring's grandson David Worrall said: "We are delighted with the outcome at court today, that Sheila Jones has pleaded guilty to the senseless murder of my grandmother, Daisy Myring.
"The last few months have been a nightmare for me and all other members of our family.
"Daisy meant the world to all of us and no sentence will ever be able to bring her back.
"She was a kind and generous lady and will be sorely missed by her family and everyone that knew her."