Individual pleads guilty to woman’s murder

An individual has entered a guilty plea for the murder of a woman. Laura Robson, aged 37, passed away on 22 July, a short time after emergency services discovered her at a residence located on Appledore Close in Gateshead. Ben Hughes, 38, residing at Appledore Close, confessed to the murder during his prior appearance at Newcastle Crown Court. He has been held in custody at HMP Durham and is scheduled for sentencing on 10 January. Recorder Paul Sloan stated that there was “only one” possible sentence for murder, specifically “imprisonment for life”. He further explained that he would need to determine the minimum period Hughes must serve before he “could even be considered for release”, a decision he would make after reviewing all the “relevant information”. Jill Evans, Ms Robson’s mother, had previously expressed that words could “not describe” the anguish resulting from her daughter’s demise. She characterized her as a “shining light” and a “very kind lass,” concluding with the statement: “We will always love you Laura.” For updates, BBC North East can be followed on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. This content is copyrighted by BBC, 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides information regarding its policy on external linking.