Claire Knights: Man, 21, admits murdering artist found dead two days after going missing

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A man has admitted murdering an artist who was found dead two days after she went missing in Kent last year.

Claire Knights, 54, was reported missing on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, and was discovered dead by her family on Friday, August 25, between St Nicholas-at-Wade and Minnis Bay during their search efforts. The mother, from Upstreet near Canterbury, was believed to have been walking her white and brown spaniel, Zebulon, towards the Minnis Bay area in Birchington before the attack.

On Tuesday, Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, of Margate, pleaded guilty to Ms Knights’ murder during a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court. He appeared via video link for the proceedings. Van-Pooss also admitted to a separate offence of using a mobile phone to record under a woman’s clothing without her consent for sexual gratification on August 22, the day before the murder.

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Claire Knights, from Upstreet near Canterbury, was last seen on August 23.Claire Knights, from Upstreet near Canterbury, was last seen on August 23.
Claire Knights, from Upstreet near Canterbury, was last seen on August 23. | Kent Police

The guilty pleas came ahead of a trial scheduled for March 2024, which had been delayed from earlier this year. It followed extensive medical reports and mental health assessments. The prosecution previously argued that Van-Pooss had been “manipulating” self-reporting assessments and had given false claims. He alleged that Ms Knights made a “sexual advance,” which led to his anger, but this account was later discredited.

Defending, Stephen Moses KC stated that it was now accepted the partial defence of diminished responsibility was not applicable after further medical evaluations. He added that Van-Pooss’s earlier account of events “must have been a forced memory.” At the opening of Ms Knights’ inquest last year, coroner Catherine Wood stated that her cause of death was attributed to blunt-force injury and drowning.

Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, of Margate, pleaded guilty to Ms Knights’ murder during a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court.Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, of Margate, pleaded guilty to Ms Knights’ murder during a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court.
Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, of Margate, pleaded guilty to Ms Knights’ murder during a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court. | Kent Police

In a family statement released by Kent Police following her death, they described Claire as: “A loving mum, partner, daughter and sister. An amazing contemporary artist, a trailblazer in life. She loved animals, and in particular her springer spaniel, Zebulon. We, the family, are struggling to come to terms with the fact she is no longer with us. We wish to thank friends and the community for their active support and kind words.”

Art school The Margate School also paid tribute to her, saying: “She was an outstanding and exceptional artist, whose work reflected her complex, loving nature. Her sculptural work had elements of humour and wit alongside determination.”

The sentencing hearing for Van-Pooss is expected to take up to two days, with dates to be set in the new year.

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