Three people have been handed life sentences in jail for the prolonged torture and murder of a vulnerable woman from west London.
Shakira Spencer, 35, was tortured, starved and beaten by her former neighbour Ashana Studholme, 39, her partner, Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and their friend Lisa Richardson.
Her killers, also from west London, treated her “like a slave”, the court was told. Spencer had her feet scalded and was fed only from ketchup sachets. The trial heard that she had been forced into sex work before her death and had become emaciated.
In December, a jury found Studholme, Pendlebury and Richardson guilty of murder and preventing a lawful burial. In a statement released after the hearing, Devi Kharran, a senior CPS prosecutor, said Pendlebury, Studholme and Richardson had exerted sadistic control over Spencer and lied about their actions. “The level of suffering that Shakira endured is simply unimaginable,” Kharran said.
After sentencing, the judge, Angela Rafferty KC, said the murder of Spencer was “marked by extreme, calculated and brutal violence and torture. I am of no doubt that you all intended to kill Shakira.”
Rafferty added that Spencer was lovable, soft and trusting but vulnerable and needed support. “She was no match for the three of you,” the judge said. “None of you took any responsibility, and you continue to blame each other to this day – you have no remorse.
“This was a sadistic campaign in which you all took pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering on a vulnerable woman.”
Spencer’s son, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had suffered nightmares and anxiety over what happened to his mother. “I cannot get the horrible image of my mother looking skinny and unwell out of my head,” he said. “Why were [the defendants] so heartless? What could cause them to torture another human?”
He said Spencer’s killers were “evil” and “do not deserve to live a normal happy life again”, adding: “To me, my mum was the best. She was not perfect, but she made me feel happy, safe and loved. I miss her every day and wish for a chance to see and speak with her again.
“I never got to say goodbye to her or to tell her that I loved her – these people let her die alone with her feeling she was unloved, as they had taken everybody away from her.”
Spencer’s mother, Merjia Spencer, said: “She always wanted to be liked, which made her keen to please people and thoughtful – however, this trait also made her vulnerable. The defendants have, over many months, taken away everything that Shakira loved. She was isolated from her family and friends, her health deteriorated, and she was almost unrecognisable.
“The defendants were not content with the complete destruction of Shakira’s life. When she was at her lowest, the defendants have tortured and murdered her like a pack of animals.”
