A woman who lied about being a victim of domestic abuse has been jailed for life after she murdered her musician boyfriend – by battering him to death with a GUITAR STAND.
Samantha Adeokun, 41, killed partner Peter Davegun, 42, in a brutal attack on December 23 last year.
Callous Adeokun then smoked cannabis and chatted to her daughter on the phone while Mr Davegun lay dead on the floor.
When she called an ambulance 40 minutes later she told the operator Mr Davegun had accidentally struck his head.
Stafford Crown Court heard she flew into a rage and beat her boyfriend by kicking and punching him as he curled up in a ball to protect himself.
She denied murder but was convicted following a trial and on Tuesday she was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars.
Judge Simon Tonking said: “I am satisfied that you, and you alone, were the aggressor, and you beat him mercilessly and brutally so he was dead or close to death.
“As a result of what you did that man was deprived of his life.
“His family and friends have had their lives devastated by what you did. Every Christmas will be sullied by the memory of his needless death at this time.”
The court heard he suffered multiple injuries to his head and body after being bludgeoned with a metal guitar stand which left the room resembling “a bloodbath”.
Emergency services rushed to his home in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, after told the operator Mr Davegun smashed his head after tripping over a mat.
Paramedics arrived just before 2.45pm and found Mr Davegun’s body lying in the foetal position on his bedroom floor.
The court heard he had extensive bruising and bite marks on his body and had suffered severe internal injuries and seven fractured ribs.
Rigor mortis had already started to set in before he was pronounced dead at the property at around 3.20pm.
Prosecutor Deborah Gould said: “The defendant literally beat him to death using her fists, feet and part of a guitar stand.
“At least part of the time she was doing this, she was bleeding and standing above him.
“She struck him repeatedly, causing significant internal bruising and bleeding. She struck him from behind and from the front.
“You will hear from the pathologist that there’s evidence he was struck while on the ground in the foetal position.
“After the attack, the defendant telephoned her daughter and said she was sorry.
“She said she and the deceased had a fight.
“She said she had been defending herself and Mr Davegun was, at that stage, unconscious.
“When her daughter asked if she had called 999, the defendant said she hadn’t because she needed to get dressed because she had blood on her.
“She changed out of her clothing.
“Then, nearly an hour afterwards, she called paramedics, claiming Mr Davegun had fallen, hit his head and been unconscious for 40 minutes.
The jury also heard a recording of the 999 call Adeokun made during which she described the scene as a “bloodbath”.
She told the operator: “We had a big argument earlier on and he’s just fell.
“I cut my finger and it looks bad. I cut my finger and it looks like I’ve killed him.”
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Glyn Pattinson, Senior Investigating Officer for Staffordshire Police, said: “Samantha Adeokun had tried to portray herself as a victim of domestic abuse in this case.
“She claimed that Peter Davegun’s death had been as a result of him accidentally hitting his head on a metal TV stand during an argument as she had pushed him away while trying to defend herself.
“However, the post-mortem showed that his injuries were not consistent with an accident and that his injuries to his back, upper limbs and head indicated that he had been subjected to a severe beating.
“Adeokun tried to convince the court that she was in fear of Mr Davegun, initially stating that he had come by his injuries accidentally before finally accepting in court that she must have been responsible for his death.
“However, her story unravelled as she tried to lie her way out of things and she has been caught out and shown for the violent person she really is.”
A family statement released by Staffordshire Police said: “Pete was a close friend to many and they are proud to refer to him as ‘Brother’.
“He was a kind gentle man, who cared deeply about his family and his music. He is a great loss to us all.”
