Dudley, West Midlands, UK – A builder was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years for the murder of a customer after a dispute over construction delays. Peter Norgrove, 43, brutally attacked 58-year-old Sharon Gordon with a hammer, leaving her with severe skull fractures in her home in Dudley.
Norgrove, a recently qualified bricklayer, had been hired by Ms. Gordon to build an extension to her home. The pair had met through a mutual friend at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall they both attended. Ms. Gordon paid Norgrove £29,000 and expected the job to be completed within two months. However, the construction was more than a year behind schedule, leading to friction between the two.
During sentencing, Judge Michael Chambers described the attack as “brutal and savage,” noting that Ms. Gordon had continued to criticize Norgrove for the delays and workmanship. The court was played doorbell and security camera footage, showing Norgrove entering the property wearing rubber gloves and later leaving with red marks on his trousers. He had also given a false statement to the police, claiming Ms. Gordon was alive and well when he left the property.
After the attack, Ms. Gordon was found dead by her friends, who had visited the property. It was revealed that she may have lived for up to an hour after the brutal assault. In a statement to the court, Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, who led the investigation, described the attack as a result of Norgrove losing his temper after a disagreement over the construction work.
Friends and family of the victim provided victim impact statements during the sentencing, expressing the devastating impact of the murder on their lives. Ms. Gordon’s daughter, Rhian Brown, described the agony of imagining her mother’s final moments and the shocking violence she endured at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.
As the trial came to a close, the court also heard that bloodstained items were found in a wheelie bin at an address linked to Norgrove, and a hammer was discovered hidden in a shed at the victim’s home. Despite facing the consequences of his actions, the grieving process continues for Ms. Gordon’s family and friends, who are left to mourn the loss of a generous and kind woman.