Man who murdered his ex’s new partner and put his body in a burning car to make it look like suicide is jailed for life

A man who murdered his love rival and put his body in a burning car to make it look like suicide has been jailed for life.

Mark Chilman, 52, battered 66-year-old former company director Neil Parkinson over the head with a weapon before burning him alive in his BMW X5.

The victim was discovered in the torched vehicle after police were called to a lay-by near the village of Cotheridge, Worcestershire on December 12 last year.

The “sex-obsessed” handyman was convicted of murdering dad-of-two Mr Parkinson after finding out he was in a relationship with his ex-partner Juliet Adcock.

Jurors were told jealous Chilman carried out the brutal killing as he remained obsessed with the mum-of-three, who he considered his “property” and his “chunk of gold.”

The sinister plot to get rid of Mr Parkinson was said to be part of a wider plan to “engineer a reconciliation with the woman he could not bear to see rejecting him”.

After being dumped by Ms Adock last June, Chilman placed a tracker on her car and stole knickers from her £800,000 farm which he “cuddled every night”.

He also left chilling messages written in lipstick on her bathroom mirrors which declared: “I love you forever”.

He was even dubbed the “Layby Lurker” by Ms Adcock’s family because he parked on the side of the road after dark near to her home in Bromyard, Herefordshire.

Today (16 August) Chilman, of Pencombe, Herefordshire, was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 22 years at Worcester Crown Court.

‘Significant planning’

Sentencing, Judge James Burbidge QC, said: “You lay in wait, it was your intention to do harm to someone who had replaced you in the affections of your previous partner.

“When Mr Parkinson drove away from the farm, in order to go and care for his dementia-suffering 94 year-old mother, when he got out of the vehicle, you struck him at least once with an object to back of his head, which rendered him unconscious.

“You arranged him in the drivers seat and poured petrol over him and the vehicle.

“Mercifully Parkinson would not have known of the immense heat that engulfed him.

“The evidence shows that you had planned this for some days, or even weeks, increasingly appearing near to the farm, staking it out and scoping the area and the situation.

“After Ms Adcock told you to leave the farm, you immediately harboured a desire to cause Parkinson harm.

“On the day of the killing, you left your own phone on Bromyard Down, so the cell sighting was something you could rely on as an alibi.

“In an interview with police, you told lie after lie and said you we were with Mr Parkinson, but he took his own life.

“It was when forensics came in, you had to change to nature of your defence, as you could not explain the distressed fracture to the rear of his skull.

“So you had to tell different lies, not only did you say Mr Parkinson had told you to dispose of the multiple phones, but he had taken you to the layby where he had hidden the jerry cans telling you that he intended to set fire to his own car as insurance fraud.

“It must have been a strain for you to try and remember all of the lies that you have invented.

“There was an intention to kill and significant pre-planning.

“In personal statements, read out by Neil’s son Christopher and his wife, Carol, you took the life of a much loved man.

“The court has heard how central he was to the life of many people

“He was father, son, brother, grandfather and partner, thus many people have been left grieving.”

The judge said Chilman had been “obsessed” with Ms Adcock who he “was not able to let go”.

He added: “You said in interview, ‘I love her to bits’, ‘I adore the ground she walks on’, ‘I am obsessed with her and I am not able to let her go’.

“On another occasion, you said in interview: ‘She was my property as well, my chuck of gold’.”

The trial was told how Mr Parkinson had been on his way home to Clifton upon Teme after spending the evening with Ms Adcock when he was attacked.

Chilman drove his unconscious body to a lay-by and used around 40 litres of petrol from two stolen jerry cans to set him on fire in the driver’s seat of the car.

‘Suicide text’

He later sent a “suicide text” to Ms Adcock, purporting to be from Mr Parkinson in the form of a confession.

It read: “I lead a double life. I use and abuse woman (sic). It goes like this. I’ve been taking women of (sic) there (sic) partners and husband’s (sic) for a very long time and I get a buss (sic) from it.”

But Ms Adcock said she knew the message had not been written by her partner because of the “appalling” spelling and grammar.She also recognised other phrases that Mr Parkinson would never have used because he was “a gentleman”.

The court was told how Chilman had remained obsessed with his ex and even bought the same perfume as her which he sprayed on clothes he stole from her.

Police found items of her clothing including her underwear which he was said to have “cuddled” and used as a “comfort blanket”.

When interviewed by police he claimed Mr Parkinson had set himself on fire and that the decision to end his life was “his choice’” but it meant he was now “out of the way”.

Chilman was found guilty of murder by a jury of nine men and three women.

After the case, Detective Chief Inspector Dean Jones, from West Mercia Police’s Major Investigation Unit, said: “Chilman committed a senseless act that ended Neil’s life prematurely.

“Neil Parkinson’s family have understandably been left devastated.

“Neil was simply leaving his partners home to return home to take care of his elderly mother when he was tragically killed in a senseless attack and my thoughts and condolences remain with them.”

Paul Reid, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Mark Chilman has been held accountable for his actions with a lengthy prison sentence.

“He killed Mr Parkinson out of jealousy after subjecting his ex, who was dating Mr Parkinson, to a stalking campaign.

“Chilman just couldn’t accept that his relationship had ended and had even threatened to kill himself, claiming he couldn’t live without her.

“His selfish, deliberate actions cost Mr Parkinson his life and have now left Mr Parkinson’s loved ones with the devastation of this tragic loss.”

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