News
Man found guilty of Choppington murder
Dated: 15 Aug 2012
[View Full Size]Stephen Shaun Streener, 49, of Meadowbank Drive has today (August 15) been found guilty of the murder of Jacqueline Grant.
On Tuesday, November 29, 2011, police were called to a house fire in Meadowbank Drive. The body of Jacqueline Grant was found inside and a murder investigation was launched by detectives.
Streener was arrested and charged with her murder and after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court was found guilty of murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Bentham, who led the investigation, described the murder as "horrific".
He said: "Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Jacqueline Grant and I want to praise and thank them for their help with the investigation and the way they have handled themselves throughout.
"After murdering Jacqueline Grant he tried to put plans in place to cover up what he did - these included setting fire to the crime scene, sending fake text messages to himself from Jacqueline's phone and fabricating a far fetched story about intruders breaking into the house.
"Thanks to some excellent work by our officers and the fire service we were able to piece together what happened inside Meadowbank Drive and bring Streener to justice."
Streener was handed a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years.