'You did a wicked and terrible thing... this was hell'

A mother-of-four has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the calculated murder of her elderly mother-in-law. Karen Vamplew was found guilty of intentionally setting fire to 77-year-old Elizabeth Vamplew's bed in a bid to kill her for financial gain.

Judge Timothy Spencer KC described her actions as "a wicked and terrible thing," adding that he was convinced this was "a killing for gain" and that she "intended she should die".

Elizabeth Vamplew, affectionately known as Anne, was once "a cheery and bustling presence" in Newark before ill health and reduced mobility took hold - a fact her killer was fully aware of when she ignited the fatal blaze. The grandmother will now serve a minimum of 32 years behind bars before being eligible for parole, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

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Jailing her, Judge Spencer said: "You did a wicked and terrible thing. You lit the bottom corner of the bed in which your mother-in-law was sleeping.

“Her own home, her own bed. You had a plan and there was a significant degree of planning but that plan was doomed to end in disaster for everyone, yourself included. Anne Vamplew was 77 years of age, she was in poor health, she had undergone seven hip operations, she was unable to walk unaided and had suffered many falls in the preceding two years, a fact of which you were well aware.

“She was deaf and she must have woken to find her bed on fire. Flames, smoke, an inferno and she, unable to hear, (was) confused, terrified. This was hell.

“One of the fire officers described this as the hottest fire he had experienced in 17 years in the fire service. You murdered her, she was 77,