Haverhill murderer Bunthawee Rimmer denied parole

A murderer who was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for bludgeoning to death 77-year-old Haverhill man Paul Norfolk has been refused parole.

Bunthawee Rimmer, then 49, was convicted at Ipswich Crown Court in July 2012 of clubbing Mr Norfolk 12 times with a claw hammer as he lay in his bed at the house they shared in Castle Lane, Haverhill on December 30, 2011.

After the hammer attack Rimmer had inflicted head injuries on herself, swallowed a bottle of Mr Muscle bathroom cleaner and anti-depression tablets and cut her own throat.

Rimmer, now 59 and originally from Thailand, was told that she must serve a minimum 11-years in prison. She became eligible for a parole hearing this year and had the appeal in August but it was rejected in September.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Bunthawee Rimmer following a paper hearing in August 2022. The panel also refused to recommend a move to open prison.

"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

"A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

"Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.

"Under current legislation she will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice."

During Rimmer's trial the jury heard that she believed Mr Norfolk was going to end the sexual relationship she claimed they were in, one which she also said had been abusive.

It was also established that just three months before his death Mr Norfolk had changed his will to leave his £340,000 estate to Rimmer instead of his wife Esme.

Rimmer had initially moved into the house in Castle Lane to be Esme's carer but started a relationship with Mr Norfolk after his wife moved into a care home.

She was given the life sentence by Mr Justice Saunders following a two week trial and more than seven hours of deliberation by the jury, who eventually returned a ten to one majority verdict after initially failing to agree a unanimous decision. One juror was discharged after falling ill.

Sentencing Rimmer to a minimum of 11 years behind bars, Judge Saunders said: "I have found this to be a very sad case. I don't lose sight of the fact that a decent man has lost his life in a brutal fashion at the age of 77.

"Paul Norfolk was by all accounts a well liked and a decent man. His death is a tragedy to his family.

"No-one should lose their life in the way Paul Norfolk did."

In his summing up, judge Saunders said Rimmer had been orphaned at the age of seven and had just one year of formal education.

She had married at 17 and had the first of two children with her husband at the age of 20, but they separated when he became violent towards her and she earned a living selling items on a tourist beach and offering massages until eventually meeting Mr Norfolk's best friend Geoffrey Rimmer and moving to Haverhill.

They were married for 12 years until Mr Rimmer's death in 2010, aged 77.

Throughout the trial it was made clear that there was no doubt Rimmer had killed Mr Norfolk, an act described by Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, as 'deliberate, brutal and sustained.'

When police officers arrived at the scene they found Rimmer laying in bed alongside Mr Norfolk with her hand placed on his.

The court was told he probably took more than 15 hours to die, and had lain unconscious throughout that time.

The issue was whether or not she was suffering from a form of depression that would have impaired her state of mind to such an extent she was not in control of her own actions at the time of the murder and had diminished responsibility.

Defending, Andrew Shaw referred to an assessment made of Rimmer by consultant psychologist, Dr Gillian Mezey.

He said: "Dr Mezey concluded that the depressive disorder from which Mrs Rimmer was suffering was a significant contributary factor in explaining why she killed Paul Norfolk."

Jurors however, were unconvinced and convicted Rimmer of murder.

Sentencing, Judge Saunders had said: "In the early hours of the morning of December 30 the defendant had armed herself with a hammer and struck Mr Norfolk at least 12 fierce blows with the hammer.

"It was a wicked thing to do, as I'm satisfied the defendant recognises and led to her trying to kill herself."