People living in the Rushcliffe village of Colston Bassett say there is a sense of relief in the area after a man pleaded guilty to murdering 47-year-old Clair Ablewhite. Ms Ablewhite, a mum of three, was found fatally wounded at a property in Hall Lane on February 25.
Ms Ablewhite's body was discovered by police officers the following day. A Home Office post-mortem examination confirmed Ms Ablewhite had suffered stab wounds. Police had cordoned off Hall Lane for days.
John Jessop, of Sherwood Avenue in Newark, was charged with Ms Ablewhite's murder and originally denied this charge, but Jessop, 26, then changed his plea to guilty during a Nottingham Crown Court appearance on October 12. The development meant that a full trial was avoided, and people living in Colston Bassett say that means there is now a sense of closure.
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Nigel Mayglothling, 63, lives in the village and is the clerk of its parish council. He said: "Whether there can ever really be justice for this is something for the family to judge because, whatever the eventual sentencing, the family have got a life sentence, too. This is a nice village with a fantastic cheese shop, a nice pub and it attracts lots of visitors and walkers.
"To suddenly have police tape and a road in the village closed off for the best part of two weeks, it was a shock to have that on your doorstep. But we do now have a sense of closure on the event with this plea.
"I didn't know Clair myself because she was a relative newcomer to the village but she hadn't come from far and was comparatively local and I know that she was very well liked. It was a bit of a shock to the village."
Colston Bassett is a quiet, picturesque rural village with around 100 residencies, a pub, the Martin's Arms, and an award-winning dairy. In previous months, before Ms Ablewhite's death, it was named in the Telegraph's '54 poshest villages' in Britain list and has been deemed the most expensive in the county - with the average house price, at the time, coming in at £786,955. A property in the village sold for £3,250,000 in June last year.
The village is also known for being the home of traditional Shropshire and Stilton blue cheeses. All those who Nottinghamshire Live spoke to in the village had been following the case of John Jessop and many said that the sense of shock from the killing was still palpable.
One couple, who said they had lived in the village for around 20 years, described Ms Ablewhite as someone who was "popular in this area" and said that her murder was something that the community would now "rather forget". Another resident of the village, who did not want to be named, said of Jessop's guilty plea: "It's a relief that the family [of Ms Ablewhite] won't have to go through such a long and drawn-out court process now.
"I did know Clair and she was lovely to talk to and a very warm and welcoming person. Hopefully it will be life in prison for the person who did this and hopefully at the sentencing the family will get some answers on why this happened."
John Jessop will be sentenced on Friday, December 9. At the last Nottingham Crown Court appearance, Judge Rafferty said it was "inevitable" that Jessop would be sentenced to life imprisonment, but that consideration needed to be given as to when, if ever, he should be eventually considered for release.
Wendy Reid, 56, who has lived in Colston Bassett for the last seven years, said: "I have been following the case closely and I was pleased that he pleaded guilty in the end. When it happened, it left everyone quite scared and anxious because we didn't know any of the circumstances.
"It was a big shock, but it is a relief that they obviously got the man responsible and we'll see what he gets. I don't know everything about the case, but life in prison seems to be what's needed."
In terms of why the sentencing on the case had been adjourned until December, Judge Rafferty said in Jessop's last crown court hearing: "I know nothing about him. We need to be clear what, if anything, underlaid what he did."
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