A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a woman who died two years after he set her on fire.
Leigh Pateman, 45, caused “significant burns” to Ellen Marshall, who was 42 at the time, after he poured petrol over her and set the fuel alight in April 2021.
He previously admitted grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed in March 2022 following the attack in Skegness, Lincolnshire.
However, Ms Marshall then died of her injuries in March 2023 and Pateman was charged with murder.
Ellen Marshall died two years after Pateman set her on fire. Pic: Lincolnshire Police
He pleaded guilty at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday and will be sentenced on 2 December.
Judge Simon Hirst told the defendant, who appeared in court via videolink from HMP Garth: “You know the sentence I’m required to pass upon you will be a life sentence.
“What I must determine, and will be assisted by counsel, is the minimum term you are required to serve.”
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Lincolnshire Police said the murder charge was authorised following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service.
The case has similarities to that of Steven Craig, who was convicted of murder in 2022 over the death of a woman who died 21 years after he set her on fire with petrol in 1998.
He was sentenced to a further 15 years in prison – in addition to the 18 he had already served for the attack – after his victim, Jacqueline Kirk, died following medical complications in 2019.