'Monster' who killed cousin with axe jailed

A "crazed maniac" who murdered his cousin with an axe in her own home has been jailed for life.

Donald Excell, 50, killed Rita Lambourne, 58, in Bexhill, East Sussex, on 12 February 2025.

He denied murder and possession of a bladed article, but security camera footage captured him carrying the axe as he walked towards his cousin's house.

Judge Christine Henson KC said Excell had become preoccupied with a self-made conspiracy theory about a paedophile cover-up that included Lambourne, though there was "absolutely no evidence" for this.

She told Excell at Hove Crown Court on Thursday he would serve a minimum of 31 years for his cousin's murder.

Excell struck Lambourne at least five times in what prosecutors described as a "frenzied attack".

The 58-year-old was left with large, catastrophic wounds to her head and chest, the court was told.

The hearing heard Excell had several previous convictions dating from 1996 for offences including assault, criminal damage, battery, threatening behaviour and assault of an emergency worker.

In 2024, he assaulted his father, grabbing his neck and biting his nose as he demanded money during a dinner.

On the night she was killed, Lambourne was speaking to her partner on the phone when Excell let himself in through the unlocked back door.

Her partner, Ashley Panahandehkafifar, raised the alarm after hearing shouts down the phone.

He called Excell, a British national from Bexhill, a "monster".

During an earlier car journey, the court heard Excell "lost it" and threatened to kill his cousin, acting like a "crazed maniac".

Afterwards Lambourne blocked him on social media and sent him a text that said: "I didn't deserve that, I hope you sort yourself out soon, I wish you all the best."

The judge said Excell disposed of the weapon and clothing in a pond.

The items were found in a rucksack by three local teenagers who were fishing.

Each of them will receive a £500 high sheriff award for their efforts, Henson said.

She added their discovery and meticulous removal of the items - which they recorded on their mobile phones - helped lead to Excell's conviction.

What they did was extraordinary for people so young, she said.

Lambourne's sister Clare Haldane, who discovered her body after going to check on her, told the BBC the family could now "sleep easy at night" with Excell behind bars.

"We're going to miss her [Lambourne] for the rest of our lives," she said.

Lambourne was described as "kind, caring and full of laughter".

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Haldane said she would "never forget the horror I physically felt and saw that night".

"Only comfort, I found my sister and no one else.

"No one else had to endure that pain, and I could be with my sister at the end of her life."

Detective Chief Inspector Alex Campbell said the hearing "brings to a close a long and complex investigation".

"While today's sentence cannot undo the devastating loss suffered by Rita's family and loved ones, it does ensure that the man responsible for this brutal crime will now face the consequences of his actions."

Excell was found guilty of Lambourne's murder by a unanimous jury following a trial at Hove Crown Court in December.

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