Theale man convicted of murdering his girlfriend

Mark Sinclair admitted killing Kylie Dembrey, but denied murder

A THEALE man who strangled and stabbed his girlfriend, but denied murdering her, has been convicted of murder.

Mark Sinclair killed Kylie Dembrey at their home in Blossom Lane, Theale, on Thursday, September 6, 2018.

Sinclair admitted killing 28-year-old Miss Dembrey, his girlfriend of 12 years, but denied murdering her. Instead, his defence argued manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

But jurors at Reading Crown Court unanimously found Sinclair guilty of murder yesterday (Tuesday) following a two-week trial.

Sinclair, 31, will be sentenced today (Wednesday).

For the latest reports from court, see Thursday's Newbury Weekly News.

Police were called to Blossom Lane in the early hours of September 6 after Mr Sinclair called 999 saying that he had killed the mother-of-two.

The court heard that Mr Sinclair had been detained and had spent time in hospitals because of his mental condition.

Claire Wade QC, defending Mr Sinclair, said: "The facts of this killing are agreed. They are not disputed by my client. He does not dispute that he killed Kylie Dembrey, normally that would make what he has done murder."

But she added that the law could distinguish between murder and manslaughter via an abnormality of mental functioning, arising from a recognised medical condition.

In this case, Miss Wade said Sinclair suffered from Cluster B personality disorder, which affected his emotions, relationships and education.

Mary Loram QC, prosecuting, argued that Mr Sinclair's actions were the "result of anger and an outburst of violence rather than any episode involving a mental illness".

Detective Inspector Dejan Avramovic from Thames Valley Police, said: “This was a horrific incident which saw Sinclair attack Kylie in her own home.

“Sinclair subjected Kylie to a vicious assault, which left her with fatal injuries.

“He then contacted police to say that he had killed Kylie and remained on scene and was arrested.

“Kylie and Sinclair were in an established relationship that was not without its issues, but Kylie should have been safe in her own home. Sadly, this proved not to be the case and tragically once again violence within a domestic setting has led to the loss of a life.

“Sinclair sought to use the partial defence of diminished responsibility citing mental health issues as a substantial contributing factor for his actions, but the jury have dismissed this and found that he strangled and then stabbed Kylie in an attack fuelled by rage.

“Although Sinclair has now been brought to justice, this callous and unprovoked attack had significant impacts not only on Kylie’s family and also on the local community. I would like to re-assure the local community of Theale that this incident, while terrible was very much in isolation.

“Sinclair was arrested at the scene of the incident and there was no wider threat to the local community.

"And to Kylie’s family I would say this; you have had the ordeal of hearing in court graphic details of this violent crime, and I would like to thank them all for their bravery and their dignity throughout our investigation.

“I hope that this conviction will bring some peace to Kylie’s family and that they can move on with their lives.

“I would like to ask that the privacy of Kylie’s family and friends is respected at this difficult time while they continue to come to terms with the outcome of this case.

“Sinclair will now serve a lengthy term of imprisonment for this crime, and I hope that Kylie’s family will get some form of closure.”