The parents of a teenager killed by her British boyfriend after travelling from Canada to meet him for the first time confronted the murderer in court as he was jailed for life.
The family of 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court to confront killer Jack Sepple, 23, who told police after the attack that he “went psychotic,” strangling Ashley and stabbing her more than 90 times.
Delivering impact statements in court, Ashley’s father Kenneth Wadsworth, mother Christy Gendron and older sister Hailey Wadsworth, told Sepple he needed to “know and accept the brutality” of what he’d done and the “neverending pain” he’d caused the family.
Her mother, Ms Gendron said in court: “This is a nightmare that thanks to you, Jack, we will never wake up from.”
Hailey revealed her sister was set to be the maid of honour at her wedding, and that her death has left the family “broken” and “surviving day to day”.
The judge, the Honourable Mr Justice Murray, told Chelmsford Crown Court the murder was a “brutal and cowardly attack”.
He said the pair met online when Ms Wadsworth was aged 12 and Sepple was around 15 and they had a long-distance relationship, but that Sepple had relationships with other women during this time.
The judge said Ms Wadsworth travelled to the UK on a six-month tourist visa while on a gap year shortly before Christmas 2021. The court heard they bought a kitten together, called Winston, and a neighbour said they initially appeared happy together.
Ms Wadsworth was days away from returning home when the murder happened and had told her mother that things were not going well with Sepple.
Simon Spence KC, prosecuting, said that Sepple murdered Ms Wadsworth after being “angered by her decision to return prematurely to her home country of Canada”.
“He strangled and repeatedly stabbed Ashley and left her in the bed that they shared while he went about his daily business,” he said.
The court also heard that after killing Ms Wadsworth, Sepple showed the body to her sister on a video FaceTime call.
A neighbour said Ms Wadsworth came to her and told her that Sepple “had beaten her up and thrown the kitten against the wall”. The judge said that Ms Wadsworth was “hysterical” and said that Sepple was going to kill her.
On the day she was killed on 1 February 2022, two of the 19-year-old’s friends received texts saying Ms Wadsworth needed help and wanted to leave. The texts asked the pair to come and get her from the Tennyson Road property, followed by messages a while later saying everything was “sorted”.
Concerned for their friend’s safety, the pair went to the Chelmsford address where Ashley was staying. Despite hearing movement within the property, they got no response and decided to call 999.
Officers arrived just minutes later at 4.15pm and forced entry to the property. After making their way to the bedroom, they found Sepple on his mobile phone alongside Ashley’s body.
Her mother Christy Gendron said in her victim impact statement that she “wasn't too happy” about her daughter travelling to meet Sepple “but she was an adult so I couldn't stop her”.
“Ashley's passion and love for Jack would ultimately cost her her life,” she said.
“She tried to better him and even introduce him to religion.
“Justice today can prevent him from harming another woman or putting another family through this.”
Ms Wadsworth's father Ken Wadsworth said he “didn't want her to go to England” but “she didn't like to be told anything bad about who she was dating.”
In a moving tribute to his daughter, Mr Wadsworth said: “You don’t know what you will miss until it is no longer there. But I am forever grateful that I got to tell you I loved you the last time I spoke to you. I wish you were back with us.
“I think about why you stayed with Jack with everything that had gone on. It plays on my mind; at the same time, I know you are such a kind and loving person and would have just wanted to help him with everything that was going on.
Her mother added: “Your moral and spiritual compass was second to none. Always wanting to help, always looking out for others.
"When you set your mind to something you believed in, no one could stop you. When you helped someone, they knew they were loved.
"Your love of and thirst for adventure brought you to the UK. Your passion for life was immense.
"Your passion for Jack knew no bounds, but it seems that your love, trust and support wasn’t returned. He didn’t want you to come home to those who truly loved you.”
Her family said she had found faith in the Mormon Church and had been accepted at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Colombia.
