EUSTON BAG SNATCHER IS GUILTY OF MURDER

DRUG ADDICT Mark Woolley was tonight found guilty of murdering BBC costume designer Elizabeth Sherlock as she tried to stop him stealing her handbag.

Woolley, 36, of West Hampstead, ran over 42-year-old Mrs Sherlock after she leapt on the bonnet of his Ford Fiesta car in a bid to stop him fleeing Euston Station with her bag on Easter Monday.

An Old Bailey jury today found Woolley guilty of stealing the bag and of murder.

The jury will continue considering their verdicts tomorrow on charges of murder and manslaughter against Woolley's girlfriend, Jackie Moorehouse, 24, also of West Hampstead.

She has admitted stealing the bag from Mrs Sherlock on 16 April. Woolley showed no emotion as he was convicted. Sentencing was adjourned until the jury return all the verdicts.

Woolley admitted in court to having a 300a day-heroin and crack cocaine habit. He has 25 convictions for 53 offences since 1982. The three-week trial heard how Mrs Sherlock clung to the bonnet of Woolley's car for more than a minute as he careered backwards and forwards in the roads around the station trying to throw her off.

She eventually fell off in front of the wheels and Woolley drove straight over her, leaving her dying from multiple injuries.

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.