Allan Scott guilty of murdering landlady Patricia Holland

Allan Scott, 42, killed Patricia Holland at her Gorleston home before burning her body on a garden bonfire.

A jury took little over two hours to find Scott guilty, after a Norwich Crown Court trial lasting almost five weeks.

The defendant, who wore a red jumper and appeared in court over a videolink from Norwich Prison, remained emotionless as the verdict was announced.

Mrs Holland's daughter, Kathryn, covered her mouth and let out a dignified gasp as she heard the jury foreman announce the verdict.

The trial had been told that 83-year-old Mrs Holland, a regular churchgoer and a familiar face at her local foodbank, had taken pity on Scott when she met him while he was homeless and selling his paintings outside a shop on Gorleston High Street.

He started to lodge with her in August 2020

However, he became aggressive and violent towards her in the months leading up to her death in July 2021.

The victim's will, which would have allowed Scott to stay in her home for up to three years after her death, was changed in the weeks before she died.

The new terms meant Scott would have been liable for eviction if she died, prompting him to murder Mrs Holland and burn her body so he could say she had gone missing.

Before her death, Mrs Holland had told neighbours and family she "wanted him out of her home" but Scott was "determined to stay".

On the evening of Saturday, July 24, the neighbours had alerted police after she turned up at their home in a distressed state, saying Scott had become abusive after an argument over some burned pasta.

Police attended and Mrs Holland said she wanted Scott to leave the address. Officers spoke him and he eventually agreed to leave and walked off.

CCTV footage shows him walking back towards the address around 17 minutes after officers had left.

The following afternoon, on Sunday, July 25, Mrs Holland's daughter, Kathryn, called round to her mother’s address and was told by Scott that she had gone to church and would not be home until 5.30pm.

Kathryn noticed what looked like blood on the door and called police.

An investigation to establish her whereabouts was launched and the following day Scott was arrested on suspicion of her murder.

A number of neighbours told police they had seen a large bonfire at the back of Mrs Holland's garden overnight on Sunday.

A large number of bone fragments were recovered from the fire which were identified to be human remains.

A chain-linked bracelet and two rings, identified by Mrs Holland’s family as likely to belong to her, were also found.

In the house, a forensic biologist found blood spatter on items of furniture, a suitcase, cardboard box and books.

The pattern of blood suggested the items had been moved and the scene manipulated.

There were also indications of blood on a wall in the hallway, the floor between the hallway and kitchen, moving towards the garden and pond area.

A green t-shirt with apparent blood staining was also found in the washing machine.

More blood was found outside the kitchen door and towards one of the garden sheds.

A comparison of body-worn footage from officers who were at the house on Saturday evening and on Sunday afternoon showed sections of the carpet in the hallway and living room had been cut. The remnants were later recovered at the bonfire site.

Police believe she was killed in the hallway, before her body was moved to the garden.

David Spens KC, prosecuting, had told the jury it was a "shocking case" and a "rare case of murder as the victim's body was essentially destroyed on the bonfire for that purpose - that it would be destroyed".

He said that when police found her burnt and charred body at the Lowestoft Road property "there was so little of it left it was not possible to discover the cause of death".

Mr Spens said the "destruction of remains" meant it was not possible to establish the cause or circumstances of her death.

He said it was the crown's case that Scott had "violently attacked her" sometime between July 24 and July 25.

Scott then "burnt her body on the bonfire in the back garden in his attempt to remove all traces of her so he could say that she had gone missing".

He had denied murder but the jury of six men and four women took just two hours and 15 minutes to find him guilty of murder.

Scott, who had already admitted a charge of preventing the burial of a dead body, will be sentenced on May 26.

Judge Alice Robinson told him there would be an order made to bring him to court on the day of sentence.

She told Danielle O'Donovan, representing Scott, that she would be making no order for reports given the fact there have been several recent psychiatric reports in the case.

Speaking after verdicts in the case, Detective Inspector Chris Burgess said: "This is a truly shocking crime where a vulnerable, well-liked elderly woman was murdered in her home by a man she had taken sympathy on and provided shelter to. 

"It is clear that  Patricia was murdered in her hallway, then Allan Scott has gone to extreme measures to attempt to hide the heinous crime he committed. 

"The callous act of then burning her body on a fire in the back garden is inexcusable."