Dedicated to ANTONIETTA GUARINO

I never thought that I would create a blog, after all what have I to say? My life changed in January 2009 and this is that story. 

This blog is dedicated to the memory of ANTONIETTA GUARINO and serves the purpose to tell you and anybody that you feel should know the story of her murder and all the events that followed. In particular the justice denied to her during the recent trial of the men accused of her murder. People should know what happened, people are entitled to understand the short comings of the system and the cruel double blow that it has dealt my family. Please help me to make as many people aware of this sorry story by asking them to visit this site.

justice-denied@inbox.lv

Impact Statment

This is a copy of the impact statement given and partly read by the Recorder of Bristol Judge Tom Crowther. Marc Riley refused to leave his cell to hear his sentence and therefore did not hear this statement. I hope that in reading this you can start to understand my story.

On the face of it writing an impact statement should be straightforward, I am to express in words the impact of a crime, which has affected my family and me. Then why have I struggled to even start this document?

I think that I understand the importance of this document, to enable professionals and others now or in the future to read and appreciate my perspective. I sincerely hope that what I write now stands the test of time, and has the same devastating impact in the future to those that read it as the memories of 2009 will have on my future and that of my children.

My difficulty in starting this is that I am not sure I can do justice to the enormous effect that this event has had, I can not be sure to find the words to express the depth of sadness I now live with following the planned deeds of two individuals unknown to me and their callous treatment of my mother’s life, taken for what? I hope that by telling you the reader some of my story, you could begin to understand the impact.

My mother was murdered on January the 8th 2009; I don’t know at this moment in time or may never know when her murder was planned. I believe from what I know it was discussed by her murderers while they were in bed together. My mother had taken a lodger some months before, by all accounts she liked him they watched films together, she spoke to him about her family, he even knew about my 11 year old sons illness which had put him in hospital. Mum had spent time with my son, while he received treatment sleeping next to him in hospital. During this time away from her home and against her clear wishes the lodger invited and spent nights together with his boyfriend. Late in 2008 one of mum’s friends lost a daughter to cancer, mum spent time comforting a grieving friend away from home, during this period her lodger again spent nights with his boyfriend, who knows what they planned? What they said? At Christmas and New Year which mum spent with my sisters family and my own, her home was used by these two individuals. I remember the constant calls from her lodger while she was with us, I thought it strange at the time, and I now know they were checking her whereabouts. So exactly when they decided that murder would be the answer to their situation I might never know and this will haunt me forever.

If the extent of the abuse had been this alone I would not be writing now. Shortly after mum returned home and upset their cosy little lives, she paid the ultimate price! Killed and for what? Maybe I will never know this too but it will always haunt me.

What I do know is that mum was murdered while in her own kitchen surrounded by photos on the walls of her family and the people she loved. She was hit on her head up to 12 times with a blunt instrument probably a hammer. I am assured that she probably died quickly but I don’t know for sure, I may never know, her potential suffering in this moment of her death will always torture me. What I do know is that her lifeless body was treated with unbelievable inhuman contempt. She was wrapped in her own bed clothes and her plastic shower curtain, bound with electrical cord from her garden tools, then bundled under cover of darkness into her small car. She was driven through the countryside, finally her killers tramping through farmers fields carried her body to the River Avon were she was indignantly thrown in, lost to the icy waters for over 40 days.

For almost 3 weeks after her murder, the guilty cowards continued to live in my mothers home - having seen her previous habits – they lied to visitors and people that telephoned asking after her. They claimed she was with her family in Surrey or that she was in Italy or that she was staying with an ill friend. Their lies bought them time to clean up the evidence of their crime. At no point up to their arrest, 21 days later, did they demonstrate any humanity toward my mother or her family, on the contrary they lived in her home, drained her bank account of all its funds and even opened online accounts to buy CD’s and DVD’s. They involved there friends in this crime asking for help to dispose of the murder weapon, giving mums car to other friends to dump outside a local scrap car dealers. I can’t and probably never will know how many people knew what these two individuals had done but no one came forward to report what they had heard. These other people choose like vultures to enjoyed the spoils of her death, her personal possessions, mobile phone, jewellery and money all found in residences across Trowbridge.

This squalid story still feels unbelievable to me, my mother was a kind woman full of life and happiness, she loved her children and grand children. Mum spent her working life as a nurse and carer, looking after the ill, and old. When she moved to Wiltshire she worked caring for patients who had mental illness and social problems. Mum was kind and believed in the fundamental goodness of others; I honestly cannot remember her saying nasty or bad things about anybody. She always tried to understand others and see things from their perspective. Mum moved to Trowbridge before either my sister or I was married, she made a life for herself in Wiltshire and had many friends and loved the county and its places of interest. She was happy in Trowbridge, she loved her home it was the depository of her life’s memories full of ornaments that she had collected, the walls covered with photos of her family in England, France and Italy.

Mum travelled to Surrey often to spend time with her grand children; it was so normal for her to arrive and within the hour on her way to the cinema with my son to see a film. On their return mum would spend time with my 4 year old daughter, playing make up and dolls. We ate together cooking food and spending good times. Recently mum discussed a possible return to Surrey; she was still young and wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren. Mum was a very affectionate person with so much love; she would always cuddle and hug her children and grandchildren. She was a lively, friendly and generous person; she was full of character and will always be missed.

Marc Riley and David Carr-Burstow’s actions, subsequent lies and lack of remorse have only served to harden my hatred for them and the things they did. I believe that their lack of morality has and will remain a danger to us all. They choose to murder somebody they knew and who trusted them, she was defenseless and at the mercy of two young adult men who’s twisted view of their own lives and sick ideas extinguished hers, the disgrace of their actions before, during and after her murder has poisoned my own future and that of my children, who have been denied the love of their grandmother.

In the short nine months since her murder I cannot escape the daily reminders that torment me, I regularly feel the emptiness and void that has been left by her unnecessary death and despair at the perverted circumstance she found her self in that night in January.

Some weeks ago my 4 year old daughter stood in the garden holding her drawings of Nonna up to the sky.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Showing Nonna my pictures, she’s in heaven.” the answer.

This is not the only time I have seen her do it.

ITV West 10 O' Clock News of the 1st of October 2009

Why Justice Denied?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Vultures

From an early point in the police's investigation it became clear that Riley and Carr Burstow had many friends in Trowbridge, they mostly shared in common a link. They had met at a charity in the town for homeless young adults, The Amber Foundation. It offered young people a safe place to stay whilst trying to give them the skills to find work so that they could support themselves.

I don't know the full details of how Riley a local man found himself homeless after-all his mother and brother lived only a few miles from Trowbridge in Bradford on Avon. During the case one witness eluded to the fact that he was not welcome at the family home due to his constant fallings out with other family members.

Carr Burstow on the other hand was from Harleston, Norfolk. His father died when he was 6 months old or 2 years (there seemed some disagreement between him and his mother) anyway he lived there until he was seventeen. I don't know why he left Norfolk to move to Wiltshire, but I got the firm impression it was because he too was no longer welcome at home or in the community. He had already been arrested numerous times, something we were to learn about later in the trial. Carr Burstow went to live with his step sister in Wiltshire. Soon she and her husband decided because of overcrowding in their home; they had five children of there own, that he could no longer stay. Carr Burstow moved to the Amber Foundation.

Here the two men met and became homosexual partners, it was also here that they met and became friends with Stephen Gurner, Laura Elvin, Darren Lee Jackson, Jack Isaacs and Daniel Faulkener. A community of drug users who went on to help Riley and Carr Burstow, and this is where my difficulty lays. These individuals probably knew what Riley and Carr Burstow had done and they choose to say nothing.

It's is hard enough to comes to terms with the murder of my mum but it is compounded by the knowledge that during the investigation many people played a part however small in this crime, this was not a crime done in secret, the profits was spread about. A television, jewelry, clocks all found across town, all at the addresses of Riley and Carr Burstow's friends. Meals eaten, drugs bought, alcohol consumed all with the gains from mums murder. Fun together on a games console bought with mum's money, cigarettes and pizzas, good times for all!

Steven Gurner had the biggest role in this, he had the flat at 30 Orchard Court the place Carr Burstow and Riley visited almost on a daily basis and it was he who went out with Carr Burstow on the night of the 8th of January. That night Carr Burstow told Gurner that "They had killed the landlady." and that "Marc had hit her on the head and they had dumped her in the river.” A drug fueled Gurner choose to believe that Carr Burstow was ‘pulling his leg’ and carry on as if nothing had been said for the next three weeks. We are also to believe that he never told his girlfriend Laura Elvin during this time? Elvin who on more that two occasions used my mothers credit card to order pizza, saying she believed Riley's story that the cards with the name Guarino on was Riley's mothers. I don't believe people were ignorant of what had happened at best they buried the heads in the sand and it makes me sick that they did nothing to bring this crime to anybody's attention. I believe that like vultures feeding on the kill of others, they enjoyed the pickings of my mothers death too much to even ask.

Gurner after spending four days in custody finally told the police what he knew, the Crown Prosecution Service decided that in order to secure a conviction he would not be prosecuted for aiding but convinced him that he should give evidence of the night of the 8th of January, the night that Carr Burstow confessed the killing to him. It was in the public interest and for the good of justice that the murderers be convicted not the profiteers. Likewise Jackson and Isaacs who had sold mums Toyota and were convicted of handling stolen goods, again the CPS decided that the charge should be simple 'Handling' and no attempt was made to discover if these two knew of the origin of the Toyota less what they said could endanger the case against Riley and Carr Burstow. It seems to me that all involved escaped punishment or received light sentences in order that the prosecution of Riley and Carr Burstow should not be jeopardised.

You may recall that Carr Burstow bought a red Ford Fiesta, this was the car that he was sat in when arrested on the 27th of January and had been in a police compound ever since. Just before the verdicts were read out on the 1st of October the final vulture swooped down to try and feed, it was Carr Burstow's stepfather who asked one of the policemen at the court if he could have the Fiesta to drive back to Norfolk in as it was in David’s name. What a douchbag! What kind of world do they or should I say we live in?

He was told that the car was evidence and at any-rate the proceeds of a crime not his to do as he pleases.

The 8th of January according to Marc Riley under caution at Melksham Police Station 27th - 30th January 2009

Marc Riley was arrested on suspicion of murder on 27^th of January 2009 at about 14:00 this was 2 days after my sister had called Trowbridge police station and the investigation in to a missing person was set up. He was taken to Melksham police station in Wiltshire and questioned. Over the next 3 days he gave this abbreviated account of what had happened at my mothers house some 20 days previous. 

He had been lodging at my mothers house since October 2008, where he rented the upstairs room for £300 per month. He viewed the room one morning in October and that afternoon with his mothers help, moved in.

He told the police how he had got back together with his boyfriend David Carr Burstow late in 2008 and how he had invited him to stay in his room. I don’t know if he told the police whether my mum knew about his boyfriend staying but it soon became evident to the interviewers that she had made it abundantly clear that under no circumstances was he to have friends staying in his room. He had invited his boyfriend to stay without her knowledge.

On the 3^rd of January mum returned from Surrey after spending Christmas with us, Riley and Carr Burstow were both at her home in Trowbridge when she arrived. They had enjoyed the Christmas and New Year period at her home now mums arrival had disturbed their cosy little lives together. From the moment she arrived Carr Burstow was locked in Riley’s upstairs room unable to use the bathroom, or any other facilities that he had become used to. Riley had become his feeder and guardian protecting him from discovery. Once again I don’t know if he told the police about how his boyfriend got in and out of the house, but it became apparent that when mum was at home and possibly up and about, he climbed in through the window accessing it by climbing up on to the flat garage roof. Riley of course came and went by a more traditional route, the front door.

Five days of cat and mouse went on until some time in the late afternoon of the 8^th of January according to Riley he went downstairs to the garage where his fridge was kept. According to his interview with the police, he was walking from the garage where he had gone to get food through the utility area toward the kitchen, when the lights flickered on and off at which point he saw a shadowy figure in the darkness.  In fear, he reached out grabbed a nearby hammer and lashed out once.

When he realised that he had hit Antonietta and she was dead he panicked and collapsed in distress, at which point he called his boyfriend from the upstairs bedroom. Carr Burstow’s cabin fever had come to an end. Together they wrapped the body and decided to dump her in the river. Marc Riley cannot drive so it was fortunate for him that David Carr Burstow was there to help him! During further questioning Riley went on to describe the exact place and circumstance of their disposal of mums body.

QUESTIONS:

If Riley was trying to minimise the killing, trying to create a story in which mums death was an accident, why did he tell the police where to find her?  He must have known that when they found her body, her injuries would prove his story was false. Mum as you know suffered a sustained attack with a minimum of 12 blunt force impact blows any one of which were described as un-survivable.

Did Riley really know the extent of her injury’s?

Was Riley protecting his lover, taking the fall with his false story?

Riley confessed to killing mum with A BLOW from a hammer. Then who inflicted the other blows?

While in custody Riley wrote more than once to his lover, I don’t know the contents of those letters but they were intercepted by the police and I have been told they make very interesting reading displaying a great deal about the nature of the relationship between these homosexual lovers.  I am not alone in not knowing the contents of these letters they were deemed prejudicial and therefore not uses as evidence at the trial.

The 8th of January according to David Carr Burstow interviewed under caution at Melksham Police Station 27th - 30th January 2009

David Carr Burstow was arrested at about 14:00 on Tuesday the 27th January 2009. He was cautioned while sitting in the red Ford Fiesta that he had bought only 2 days before. At the time he was outside the police station in Trowbridge waiting in the car while Riley had gone inside to offer the police his help in the missing persons enquiry that had been set up. Unknown to both of them Wiltshire police had been busy examining CCTV images which showed the pair withdrawing money on numerous occasions from my mothers account at various cash machines across Trowbridge over the previous 20 days. This was enough evidence to arrest them both on suspicion of murder; a charge that would allow the police the maximum time to interview the suspects, although at this time the enquiry was still a missing persons one.

Carr Burstow was taken to Melksham police station for formal interview. Over the next 96 hours whilst in custody he was interviewed several times, these interviews when transcribed amounted to over 600 pages, this was distilled down to 60 pages to be used in court later. In turn I will try and write a short synopsis of his statements.

Carr Burstow’s statements were peppered with lies from the very start, he admitted to this while under caution and later on at his trial. This together with his constant “I can’t remember ‘cos I have ADHD* and stuff.” and his general non-cooperation made him a very difficult suspect. The basis of his statements were, “I don’t remember,' I didn’t do it,' Marc told me to,' Marc made me do it,' 'I was afraid of Marc.' Marc, Marc, Marc...

At first he told the interviewer that he had been a welcome guest in mum’s house, he described how in the early afternoon of January the 8th he had returned from shopping in Trowbridge to her home. He said that he had gone straight up to his room but had said hello to Antonietta who was in the living room. This, he said, was the extent of his conversation on that occasion. He went on to say that all his previous conversations with mum had been of a simalar superficial nature, all in passing and quick hello's and goodbyes. He said the Riley was also in the house that afternoon but he remained downstairs, Carr Burstow guessed when asked “that he was cleaning or something”. Over the next 3 hours or so he watched music TV upstairs in Riley’s room. At some point later he was called downstairs by Riley, he said that he went down to the kitchen where he saw Antonietta's body on the kitchen floor. There was blood all around and her head was part covered by a cloth, all he could see were her lips, Riley told him to “Fucking help,” he went to get the shower curtain and helped Riley then wrap her body. He claimed that throughout he was feeling sick “it was the smell and that.” and therefore could not remember the precise details of what happened. When asked about the hammer he said “I saw it on the side.” When questioned if he asked Riley why he had done it, his answer was “No” he went on to explain how he and Riley disposed of the body and continued the clean up operation. Although he said that he did not take as active a role in the clean up as the smell disturbed him too much.

During the subsequent interviews is became clear that Carr Burstow was lying about his relationship with my mother, he had never spoken to her on that day in fact he only used the front door when it was late and mum was in bed. Other than that he came and went by the bedroom window, asked why, well Marc told him too. Asked if he was lodging without the landlady consent? Not as far as he knew, Marc has asked her and she said that it was OK as long as they kept the noise down.

His first backtracking lies had begun. Carr Burstow said what seemed right or best for him at the time. He was asked about the injuries to the knuckles on his hand, these were some days old at the time of his arrest. Carr Burstow explained that he and Riley had argued and he had punched a door, the shattered wood had cut the knuckles. This door is immediately outside the bedroom door that Marc Riley was renting, upstairs in Antonietta's home. The argument was over sex toys, Carr Burstow wanted to use them, and Riley would not let him. Asked again about the time immediately after he came downstairs, why did he not call for help when he saw what had happened, well he “didn’t want to get in to any trouble.” and “you don’t grass up friends.” Again asked if he had discussed with Riley why he had killed his landlady he said “No.” not then, not that night and not in the 3 weeks after.

You could reasonably ask yourself why did he not ask? I believe I know the reason: because he knew exactly why she was dead , so why ask?

When next interviewed the police told Carr Burstow that Marc Riley had confessed to the killing. The interview was short Carr Burstow’s answers were all ‘No Comment’

In his next interviews the story of what happened after the murder, the visit to Gurner and Elvin’s flat that night, the disposal of the hammer, the attempted scrapping of the Yaris and well you know the rest.

In Short he claimed that he was upstairs in the bedroom when all of a sudden he was called downstairs to be greeted with his boyfriend who had just bludgeoned to death his 61 year old landlady in her own kitchen, he did not know why and never choose to ask but what he did immediately after probably explains more about his role than the 600 pages of police interviews/lies.

*Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder