Woman Had Sex With Autistic Friend And Arranged For His Murder Jailed for Life

A woman and her two friends were sentenced to at least 17 years of life for the murder of 22-year-old Joe Pooley in August 2018. Becki West Davidson, 30, along with her friends Sean Palmer, 31, and Sebastian Smith, 35, were handed their sentences by Judge Martyn Levett at the Ipswich Crown Court on Monday.

Davidson, who had sex with Pooley encouraged her two male friends to murder the victim after she had tried to “ghost” him.

The victim, who is also diagnosed with ADHD, autism and Asperger’s had sent numerous messages and protestations of love to Davidson after they had slept together. The night before he was murdered, Davidson had sent “bragging texts” to Smith.

The court heard that over the course of 12 hours since having sex with Pooley, the victim received aggressive and threatening Facebook messages from Smith.

Fearful from all the Facebook threats, Pooley contacted Davidson but she kept ignoring his messages. Pooley reacted to the lack of replies from Davidson and told her that he was surprised she did not live with her children.

Having been enraged with his reply, Davidson arranged an attack on the love-smitten Pooley.

On August 6, the unknowing victim was lured out of his flat by Smith and Palmer. He was taken to a flat, was given alcohol and then interrogated. While walking Pooley along the towpath, Smith and Palmer both threw him in the River Gipping with Palmer holding his head underwater causing Pooley to eventually drown.

Pooley was found dead in the river by a dog walker nearly a week later after the attack.

According to court documents, Palmer was said to have confessed to his mother saying that he had held the victim's head under the water. On the other hand, Smith had even joined Pooley’s family in the search prior to finding his body. He allegedly confessed to a friend that he had taken Pooley into the woods and told him to “dig his own grave.”

Meanwhile, Davidson played the grief-stricken friend after Pooley’s body was found. In a statement read in court by Pooley’s mother, Sam Nicholls, she said she had consoled Davidson at her son's memorial service, "when you were the reason he was not here".

All three denied murder but were convicted by a jury in March.

Levett, who said the crime was driven and motivated by sexual jealousy, ordered Davidson to serve 17 years behind bars after he said he was satisfied to hear that she had encouraged the attack. According to the BBC, Smith and Palmer were jailed with sentences extending to life in prison on charges of murder. Smith was ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years and Palmer was told he must serve 18 years.