THE family of a pregnant prostitute who was battered to death over her £40 fee have slammed the life sentence imposed on her killer after the judge ruled the minimum time he should spend in jail is 11 years.
Danielle Moorcroft, 21, who was five months pregnant with a son, was beaten about the head with a bottle and a house brick in Bolton because she would not give Stuart Milsted his money back.
Milsted, 31, a university graduate, admitted murder and was jailed for life at Liverpool Crown Court.
The recorder of Liverpool, Henry Globe QC, recommended he serve a minimum of 11 years after hearing Milsted had no convictions for violence and did not plan the attack.
Numb
Outside court, Danielle's mother Mary Lodge, 42, from Cheshire, said: "I am disgusted. I think that the criminal justice system has let us down. I was hoping for a far longer sentence. My life sentence is never going to be over and I have to live with this for the rest of my life. I do not think 11 years is long enough."
Danielle's father Kevin Moorcroft, 44, and her step-mother Christine Moorcroft, 42, added: "After 11 years, this man might be freed from prison and he will be able to continue living a normal life.
"If you are sentenced to life it should mean exactly that. What this man has done has had a devastating effect on our lives. He has left us without a daughter and a grandson and we can never forgive him for that."
Milsted, who was on prescribed anti-depressant drugs, moved to Bolton from Wimbledon to study for a Masters degree in automotive engineering and was working as a customer service manager at a Hale-based finance company at the time of the killing in 2002.
The court heard he was depressed and despondent.
Addiction
Danielle lived with her boyfriend in Bolton after moving from Liverpool. She was working as a prostitute to fuel her heroin addiction.
Milsted, who had been drinking heavily, gave her £40 and they went to a secluded car park but began to fight after he asked her for his money back because he was unable to have sex. He battered her repeatedly with a bottle and a house brick and fled, leaving her partially clothed.
Milsted, who was living in a flat in Gilnow Road, Bolton, was eventually snared after a near three-year police investigation. He had dropped an inhaler near her body. DNA on the inhaler matched his DNA profile.
After giving police a swab to test his DNA in January this year he ran away leaving behind a three-page suicide letter in which he admitted and apologised for murdering Danielle and said he would kill himself.
He was found five days later living rough on an ornamental island in a park in Bolton - and slashed at his throat as police went to arrest him.
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If we have judges that were silly wigs and black stocking what can you expect. get some real people on the bench.
This country is an absolute joke. The punishment system is just talk and no action. "Life imprisoment" is a complete misnomer. I've never seen it amount to more than 25 years. If the worst possible crimes are punished with these type of feeble sentences, all the others receive lesser sentences and people involved in lower level crime (..allbeit a scourge of our society) get off scott free. The whole system needs an overhaul - starting with life actually meaning life, as an absolute minimum, for any murder.
It's such a shame, if we had legalised prostitution then this would probably never happened. The sad thing is that this young woman was fuelling a self-imposed habit - and probably costing the taxpayer large sums of money into the bargain. It seems that there were just losers all round.
However, if we did have a decent legal system, the defendant could pay, in some part, for his crime. Why don't they abolish all animal drug testings and instead use prisoners such as this man? That way, we could all be assured that the drugs really do work on humans and no animals would be harmed during the trials (sorry, creatures that break all known human boundries don't count!)
What do all the anti-capital punishment brigade have to say now ? Without execution murder should carry a mandatory life sentence, whree life means until you die.
With the prisons being so overcrowded, it would be good if the death penalty were to be brought back. Exterminate this trash!
McDuffus got 15yrs minimum and Milstead only got 11yrs for the same crime. Explanation please! They both should serve life, that is until they die.
It's wrong that the killer of scum like Noonan gets 15yrs and the killer of this poor child who never had a chance in life gets a mere 11 yrs....where oh where is the justice
Anon says " if we had legalised prostitution then this would probably never happened". Total nonsense, the guy didn't want to pay, legal, illegal got nothing to do with it.
Incidentally, I think this guy should face a firing squad. And yes, I would happily pull the trigger after due process of law.
What if I were to say that the capital punishment for motiveless murder here in Singapore is death by hanging? Ooh barbaric that, I'd hear some of you say. Rape carries 12 strokes of the cane and life imprisonment. No such thing as getting out of jail for good behaviour. 'cos the rapist has violated the rights of his victim.
Btw what rights do these criminals have which meddlesome international Human Rights types like to poke their noses into other countries' affairs? At least it sends out a clear warning to everyone regardless native or foreign guest that they can't allow their rampant urges to influence them to commit such an outrage.
The joke about this country being a controlled police state is rather outdated in light of this case.
Angie
I agree with you. A civilised country protects its innocent civilians from murderers, rapists and robbers by the most effective methods. Victims and potential victims should come first. Scum should be right down the list, as far as their welfare is concerned. Criminals have a choice in the matter - so don't do it. If they can't help themselves, then they should be kept away from the rest of us. Taking an innocent life for pleasure or greed should be punishable by death. Men who habitually rape women should be permanently disabled in that particular department - to protect the rights of the overwhelming majority. Sorry, I'm dreaming (again).
You can get 25 years for drug smuggling, which, ok is a serious crime, but surely taking another life is at least as serious. What really gets my blood boiling is the thought that this guy is probably gonna be all remorseful and well behaved to get himself out in 11 years. He won't be able to get a job because he's scum. So we foot the bill for the rest of his sorry-ass life!
ta PW, you may be interested to know that capital punishments accordingly meted out are a legacy passed down by the brits and i'm very dismayed - to say the least - that the UK no longer practices it just because punishing those scum is a tad harsh - duh?. as long as i have peace of mind returning home as late as 3am safely, i don't mind sacrificing certain liberties.
btw Oller, anyone caught drug smuggling, peddling and abetting will be sentenced to death. same applies to anyone who spiked a bird's drink with that rape-date drug wotsitsname.
those who are caught sniffing or consuming will be caned + x number of years in jail depending on the severity of act.
You all know absolutely nothing about this man or the story surrounding it. You should keep your archaic, neanderthal comments to yourselves. I know Stuart, you know nothing
If you're all so sure of these comments then you must never have done anything bad in your life before. You have no idea about certain issues involved with this case or of Stuart himself. If you had I'm fairly sure your views might be different. Yes he has done something terrible and he is now paying for that, but stop polishing all your halos for one second.
Thank you Anon Manchester, I really couldn't agree more. I am Stuart's sister and proud to say so.