Man jailed for 'one of most planned murders' - judge

A man has been sentenced to 26 years in jail for "one of the most planned murders" a judge has ever seen.

Raymond Groves, 48, of Hartcliffe, Bristol, was found stabbed to death at a property in Strawberry Fields in Easterton, near Devizes in Wiltshire, in July 2024.

Anthony Hillier, 35, of Brooklands in Royal Wootton Bassett, was sentenced after being found guilty of murder at a previous hearing.

His girlfriend, Letisha Goodwin, 30, was ordered to remain in a medical facility after the judge determined she had "encouraged and assisted" in the murder.

Her mother, Helen Shakespeare, 55, of Strawberry Fields in Easterton, was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of manslaughter.

Shakespeare had previously been in a relationship with Groves and made a plan with Goodwin and Hillier to have him attacked to "teach him a lesson".

He died after being "repeatedly stabbed" at the home shared by Shakespeare and Goodwin.

The trio tried to deceive police , with Goodwin making a 999 call where she said she had returned from the shops to find "a man lying on the floor with blood everywhere" with a knife in his left hand.

Shakespeare then told police that Groves had tried to rape her and that she had stabbed him in self-defence.

"What actually unfolded was something completely different," Det Insp Debbie Hatch told BBC Wiltshire.

Her officers trawled through hours of CCTV, which revealed that Hillier had been in the property at the time of Groves' death.

They also found a bloody footprint beneath Groves' body, which matched Hillier's trainers.

"The investigation was huge, it was complex," Hatch continued. "We also had to analyse mobile phone data and messaging, which played a huge part in the trial, especially messages between Goodwin and Hillier."

Police found Shakespeare had "lured" the victim to her home, where he was stabbed by Hillier with a knife, a plan hatched between him and Goodwin.

"This is one of the most planned murders I think I've ever come across," Justice Martin Spencer told the court.

He praised an "exemplary" police investigation, which "unravelled" Hillier, Shakespeare and Goodwin's attempt to hide the truth.

Hillier sat alone at a table at HMP Winchester, where he is currently being held, as he listened to his sentence being handed down on a virtual link.

Ahead of sentencing, Edward Henry KC described his client as a "pathetic individual, a broken man" who had been involved in "paranoia" created by Shakespeare.

Judge Spencer said Hillier's attack was "brutal" and he had "no doubt" Hillier had brought a knife to Strawberry Fields, and referenced a text he had sent to Goodwin, which read, "I f****** told you I would get rid of him."

The court heard Hillier had already served 724 days of his 26-year sentence.

The court was told Shakespeare had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child and domestic abuse at the hands of an ex-partner.

Passing sentence, Judge Spencer said Shakespeare wanted Groves to be "beaten up". She had invited Groves to the home on the promise of "undisturbed sex" before she made way for Hillier.

"You were part of a plan to teach Groves a lesson," Judge Spencer said.

"But you were then shocked by what Hillier did. You did not want him to be killed."

Goodwin was ordered to be detained under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act at Fromeside Medium Secure Unit in Bristol, where she has already been for several months.

The court was told she had made numerous attempts on her own life and that she was suffering from a severe personality disorder, PTSD and a delusional disorder. She did not attend the trial due to her mental state.

Goodwin spent much of her childhood in foster care, but before Groves' death, the court was told Goodwin had a "stable" life with two children she brought up in her own home, which she was "proud of".

But her life was "turned upside down" by the arrival of her mother, with whom she had a difficult relationship.

The judge said Goodwin "plotted" with Shakespeare and, with Hillier, "formulated the plan that he should kill Mr Groves".

He continued: "She [Goodwin] has lost everything which she worked so hard to build up and nurture."

Groves, known as Boo, was described as being "always there for people when they needed a chat". He died two days after he turned 48, the court heard on Thursday.

A family statement was read out by his sister, Samantha Thomas, which said they "greatly missed" the "loud, chatty and funny" man.

A statement from Maria Brown, who had four children with Groves, was also read.

"It feels like a part of me has been taken," it said. "Having to go through a crown court trial was very distressing for us; at several times, I just had to walk out."

Det Insp Hatch said there was a "sense of relief" today for Groves' family following the sentencing.

"I think it is clear from Raymond's family that they feel they have justice for him, and they can now have some closure for him moving forward," she said.

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