A MAN who ‘savagely’ murdered his friends in their Basingstoke home while their toddler son was asleep in a nearby room has been sentenced to life in prison.

Stanley Elliott, of Vidlers Farm, Kiln Road, Sherborne St John, will spend a minimum term of 34 years behind bars for stabbing Geoffrey Hibbert and his wife Michelle to death in their South Ham bungalow on June 20 2021.

Elliott had been babysitting for the couple at their house on Buckland Avenue while they went on an evening out in Reading on June 19, returning shortly after 1.30am the following morning.

At 1.58am Mrs Hibbert made a 999 call using Elliott’s mobile phone to report that her husband had been stabbed. During the call she said she had also been attacked.

Police arrived at the scene at just after 2am and found their bodies in the property.

Mr Hibbert, 61, had 58 separate injuries, to the head, neck, trunk and limbs, including “extensive, multiple, catastrophic blunt force trauma and stab wounds”, while “defensive type wounds to the hands and arms” indicated a fight.

READ MORE: Stanley Elliott sentenced to minimum 34 years for double murder

Mrs Hibbert, 29, died of blood loss from multiple stab wounds including seven to the neck.

Following a trial lasting four weeks, on March 4 a jury at Winchester Crown Court found Elliott, 53, guilty of two counts of murder.

The jury found Elliott guilty of murdering Mr Hibbert by a majority of 10 to two and Mrs Hibbert by a majority of 11 to one.

At the sentencing of Elliott at Winchester Crown Court today (March 31), Sarah Jones QC, prosecuting, said that there is a "mandatory life sentence" and says that the crown does not accept the defence submission that Michelle's death was "inevitable".

"[She] was separately and deliberately pursued. At that point, the exit would have been closer to the defendant than continuing to her. A decision was made to kill, so that she could not tell or add to the detail she had given as to who had done this,” she said.

However, Chris Henley QC, defending, responded: "The killing of the second person is likely to be a choice made in the moment. It's absolutely the case here that this was not planned, there was no premeditation.”

He described the incident as an "angry, spontaneous, frenzied attack" and a “tragedy for all involved”.

Mr Justice Neil Garnham said he did not find a “whole life” sentence to be “appropriate”, but stressed that the 34 year minimum must be served.

The judge said he took into account that Elliott had suffered from a brain injury, and the attacks were not “premeditated”.

However he said that aggravating features, including attempts to conceal his crimes, the presence of the victims’ young son, and previous convictions, “greatly outweighed” the mitigating ones.

The judge said: "It was the conclusion of the jury that during that 20 minutes you attacked and killed both Geoffrey and Michelle. That that was their conclusion was hardly surprising."

He continued: "This must have been the most dreadful and terrifying of deaths for Geoffrey and Michelle. They each knew that you were stabbing their spouse.

"This was a prolonged, aggravated, frenzied knife attack by you on two defenceless people."

After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Tina Lowe said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the families and friends of Geoffrey and Michelle Hibbert.

“This was a senseless and horrific incident which resulted in two people losing their lives and a young child losing his parents.

“I hope Geoffrey and Michelle’s family will be able to feel a small sense of comfort that justice has been delivered and that Stanley Elliott will spend a long time in prison for what he has done.

“Parts of the investigation were particularly harrowing and I would like to commend my staff for handling the case professionally and with the victims at the forefront of their minds throughout.”

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