Man Pleads Guilty to Girlfriend’s Murder Following Fatal Arson Attack

An individual who ignited his girlfriend after dousing her with petrol has admitted guilt to murder, following her death almost two years subsequent to the assault. Leigh Pateman, aged 45, applied petrol to Ellen Marshall while she was seated in a chair at her residence in Skegness, Lincolnshire, then ignited her during a dispute on 22 April 2021. Ms. Marshall sustained burns covering 80% of her body, primarily on her upper torso, and succumbed to these injuries on 11 March 2023. Pateman received a sentence of 17 years and 10 months imprisonment in March 2022, having previously confessed to grievous bodily harm with intent. This past Friday, at Lincoln Crown Court, he entered a guilty plea to the murder charge and is scheduled for sentencing on 2 December. The charge of murder was filed against Pateman, whose former address was Firbeck Avenue, Skegness, subsequent to Ms. Marshall’s demise at Nottingham City Hospital. Pateman participated in the court proceedings remotely, via a video link from HMP Garth, where he is presently incarcerated. Judge Simon Hirst informed him: “You know the only sentence I can pass upon you is one of life imprisonment.” The judge further stated: “What I need to decide is the minimum term you will have to serve before you can appear before a parole board.” During his prior sentencing hearing, testimony presented to the court indicated that Pateman, after escaping the location on his bicycle, was discovered at his mother’s residence, having retired to bed, and was covered in soot. He was apprehended and received treatment for burns before being placed in police custody. Ms. Marshall, then 42 years old and a native of Nottingham, was located by firefighters on the floor of her dwelling, experiencing “extreme pain” yet remaining conscious. Notwithstanding 12 hours of surgical intervention, her prognosis for survival was less than 50%. Judge Hirst, when delivering the sentence in 2022, stated to Pateman: “It is difficult to think of a crueller crime than setting someone alight.” He added: “Her injuries are irreversible and she will never be able to return to her former life.”