A “savage” burglar who beat, gagged and “hog-tied” an 86-year-old woman before leaving her to die has been jailed for 34 years.

Vasile Culea was convicted of murdering Freda Walker in her Derbyshire home after he broke in searching for £30,000 in cash he’d heard was in the house.

The Romanian national was also convicted of the wounding with intent of Mrs Walker’s husband, 88-year-old Kenneth Walker, during the burglary on 14 January.

Mr and Mrs Walker had both had their hands and feet bound by the 34-year-old burglar while he scoured their home for more than three hours looking for the cash, which he never found.

The cash did exist but was only discovered afterwards by police search teams, with the jury hearing evidence Mr Walker had forgotten where he had stored the money in the home.

CCTV showed Culea first arrived at their address at about 5.30pm, claiming he opened their unlocked back door and then hid, only to be discovered by the elderly couple.

When Mrs Walker opened the door to let the cat out, he forced his way inside, launching a violent attack which left Mr Walker with a broken neck.

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Jurors at Derby Crown Court were told the victims suffered “frankly horrific” injuries, and that Mrs Walker would have had a good chance of surviving the attack had she not been “abandoned without any assistance” when Culea fled the scene with £300 stolen from her handbag.

Mrs Walker suffered a fatal brain injury and was found dead in the kitchen by emergency services the day after the attack.

She had at least two coverings over her head that were knotted – a pillowcase and a bin liner.

Police described the level of violence as “horrific” and “disturbing”.

Sentencing Culea on Friday, Mr Justice Henshaw, said: “You murdered Freda Walker for gain because you killed her in the course of the furtherance of your burglary.”

“The experience must have been overwhelmingly traumatic for Freda Walker and each of the injuries you inflicted on her would have caused her pain.

“All in all, I am sure Freda would have suffered both mental and physical suffering before she died.”

Mr Walker died some months after the incident for reasons unconnected with the attack.

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