Jailed thug Alan Edney pretended his girlfriend had been killed in a hit-and-run after battering her to death

A thug who ‘savagely’ battered his girlfriend to death before pretending to her family she had been killed in a hit-and-run has been jailed for life.

Alan Edney, 31, of Handsworth, Birmingham, murdered Kerry Owen, 35, before dumping her body in a ditch along a remote country lane covered in grass cuttings. A court heard tragic Kerry was discovered by a dog walker along Wast Hills Lane in Hopwood, Worcestershire, on May 27 last year. The man’s dog discovered a pool of blood before Kerry’s body was found nearby in the undergrowth.

In the meantime, Edney had spun a web of elaborate lies in a bid to cover his tracks, telling her family members Kerry had been killed in a hit-and-run. He even said he’d accompanied her body to hospital and claimed he had been taken to a police station to give a statement about the collision.

But jurors heard in reality, he had subjected his partner to a "savage beating" before dumping her lifeless body in a ditch. Edney was found guilty of murder following a four week trial at Worcester Crown Court. Yesterday (Thursday, June 29) he was jailed for life and told he would serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

Detective Chief Inspector Gerry Smith, of West Mercia Police, said afterwards: “Edney spent the hours after he had killed Kerry elaborately covering his tracks. Instead of calling for an ambulance after he had brutally attacked her, he sought to cover her body and hide his involvement.

"He contacted her family and told them she had been killed in a hit and run collision. Even after he was arrested on suspicion of her murder he continued to lie, telling officers he had alibis. He later told officers in custody he had been in bed at the time Kerry was killed.

“However, our investigation uncovered Edney’s elaborate web of lies with extensive enquiries, which included forensic, house to house and CCTV enquiries. This proved his account was false and he was in fact responsible for her murder.

“Edney will now face the consequences of his violent and deceitful actions and while today’s verdict will not undo a horrific killing, I hope it brings some solace to Kerry’s family that justice has been done.”

Emily Clewer of the CPS said: “Alan Edney cruelly assaulted an innocent woman who loved him and didn’t deserve to die in such an awful way. He subjected Kerry Owen to unimaginable violence leaving her with devastating injuries that led to her death.

"He then spun a web of lies to evade prosecution and pretended to be a devastated partner when in fact he had inflicted the terrible injuries on Ms Owen. Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies and today’s verdict has ensured that he will face the consequences of his actions. Our thoughts are with the family of Kerry Owen, whose lives have been devastated by the actions of Alan Edney.”