Emily Sanderson murder: 'Dearly loved' Sheffield mum-of-three was 'incredible person' and 'heart of family'

"An incredible person, " "deeply and dearly loved" and "the heart of her family."

These were the words used to describe mum-of-three Emily Sanderson at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday (October 6) as her murderer was sent to prison for life.

The 50-year-old Gleadless woman's family has shown incredible unity, from the dark day in May when her murder was announced to the harrowing events at court yesterday.

The hearing at Sheffield Crown Court was one of the most gut-wrenching heard there in some time, featuring a telephone recording of the very moment Emily's life came to an end at the hands of Mark Nicholls.

The court heard how Emily had been phoning a taxi at the house on Crofton Avenue when Nicholls cut in by verbally abusing her. A disturbance could be heard - followed by a muffled scream, Emily saying 'no', and four, loud, hard thuds.

These were the sounds of Emily being bludgeoned over the head with a dumbbell by Nicholls.

Throughout, Emily's family sat composed.

In a victim statement read out in court by prosecutor Mr Sam Green KC, Emily’s mother, Christine Shann, said: "Emily was an incredible person. She was deeply and dearly loved by me, her three children, her siblings, her family, and her many, many friends.

“It is impossible to overstate the emotional damage wrought by her murder. Her son and two daughters have lost their mother. Emily and her kids adored and cared for each other, they needed her in their lives and she has been stolen.

“As Emily’s mother, I have had the daughter I love taken away, I have had to experience every parent’s nightmare and live through the death of my own child. Emily had close, precious relationships with all of her siblings and was a huge and irreplaceable part of their lives.”

Christine added: “What we have experienced in the wake of this tragedy has done irreversible damage to all our lives, she was the heart of our family, and our heart has been ripped out. We miss her so much; her absence is so keenly felt. We will never celebrate with her again, never be held by her, never receive any more of her help and support, hear her jokes, or spend time with her. She will never meet her children’s children. We will never see her realise her immense potential and share with her the life she deserved, free of violence. We feel this every day and will continue to feel it as long as we live."

Over a dozen members of her family even arrived wearing T-shirts with their loved one's face on it and emblazoned with "Emily #1 in a million".

They were even asked by His Honour Judge Jeremy Richardson to cover to remove the T-shirts, maintaining the court could not be used as a place to "make protest or statement". When the family complied without complaint, His Honour seemed bashful, and thanked them for their understanding.

He later opened his sentencing remarks by saying: "The family of the deceased have conducted themselves with dignity in the court.

"It's clear that Emily Sanderson was a much-loved daughter and mother. She had many friends. Her family have been deeply affected by what has happened.

"Her family had several days of anguish after her disappearance. not knowing where she was or what had happened to her, unsure if she was alive or not.

"I wish everyone in her family well... They will never get over this. It's too much to ask of anyone."

Mark Nicholls, 43, of Crofton Avenue, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 and a half years.

Before he was led to the cells, Judge Richardson said: "It was a truly wicked act. Take him down."

However, questions remain over South Yorkshire Police's actions in the days after her death.

Emily's family last saw her on May 19, and reported her missing on May 25 to SYP when the normally sociable, chatty woman was not heard from.

However, the force did not publish an appeal to the public in the five days between the report and when her body was discovered on May 30.

When The Star asked SYP for comment on this, a spokesperson said: "As there is an ongoing IOPC investigation we are unable to provide any comment on this at the present time."

A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) at the time of the incident. This remains ongoing.

In a statement after court, Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell, senior investigating officer, said: “Nicholls snatched away the life of a daughter, a sister and a mother in a fit of rage. He has since made considerable efforts to place the blame for her death on Emily herself.

"Within minutes of his appalling crime, he commenced a considered, thought-out and protracted plan to conceal her remains and escape prosecution. He has shown no real remorse for his truly horrific actions and the subsequent torture he has put her family through.

"Although I am grateful to the court for the lengthy sentence imposed, nothing will undo the immeasurable harm he has caused. Once more I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Emily’s family and friends, as they try to process their devastating loss.”