When detectives got hold of a mobile phone belonging to a suspect after a brutal stabbing in St Helens, what they found stood out even compared with other murder cases.
A recording found on the phone was so disturbing, a top judge declared it "too shocking" to be played in court during the sentencing of the man who made it - 33-year-old Ian Robertson. Robertson had been arrested over the murder of Robert Sempey, 37, who found dead in the back garden of Robertson's home in Beilby Road, Haydock, on January 21, 2018.
His mutilated body was found partially covered with two old doors, and had been there for almost 48 hours. When officers seized Roberston's phone, he was left with little choice but to plead guilty to murder. Four years on from the court case, the ECHO looks back on a murder that shocked Merseyside.
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Robertson, 33, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting murder. The court heard he had used a voice recorder on his mobile phone to capture himself asking fatally wounded Mr Sempey “how are you still alive?” after a frenzied knife attack.
Mr Sempey's family cried in Liverpool Crown Court as they heard how twisted Robertson asked his victim: “Do you want to tell your kids you love them?” The court heard how Robertson later texted his boss asking for help burying the body.
Robertson's partner Kirsty Jervis, then 31, who also lived in Beilby Road, helped the killer clean up after the murder and failed to raise the alarm, landing herself in prison for assisting an offender.
The court heard “old friends” Robertson and Mr Sempey met at a pub in St Helens before returning to Robertson's home to continue drinking on the evening of January 19, 2018. Christopher Tehrani, QC, prosecuting at the sentencing hearing in June, said the pair had argued during the night and that witnessed described Robertson as “bullying” Mr Sempey, who was described as polite and friendly.
At one point Robertson stabbed Mr Sempey in the arm and punched him, but even then the pair calmed down and continued to socialise. However, Robertson's son saw them fighting again that night, with Mr Sempey holding a knife to defend himself, before being told to go to bed by his father.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, passing sentence, told Robertson: “I am sure that Robert Sempey was not then intent on causing you harm so much as attempting to defend himself from the threat posed by you. Given the terrible injuries suffered by him and the complete lack of injury suffered by you, you must have quickly overpowered him, retrieved the knife and used it to butcher this man...
“What you did then beggars belief. Having fatally wounded him, but while he was apparently conscious, you used your mobile phone to record his last dying minutes.” Judge Menary said the recording was “too shocking” to be played in court but ordered that whenever Robertson's sentence is reviewed, decades from now, it should be heard by a Parole Board.
He said: “On it you can be heard clearly and calmly talking to Mr Sempey, asking him with feigned incredulity why he was still alive despite what you had done to him. Mockingly, you ask him if he wants to tell his children that he loves them; you tell him he's like the Terminator while you hum the tune to the movie; and ask him if he wants you to stab him in the throat again or in the heart.”
The court heard between four and six "thuds" on the audio recording, consistent with further knife wounds being inflicted on Mr Sempey's chest. A post-mortem exam revealed a horrendous category of injuries, including around 12 knife wounds to the throat, chest and abdomen.
The court heard Robertson enlisted the help of Jervis, who had been sitting upstairs with the children. She cleaned the house while at some point Robertson dragged Mr Sempey's mutilated body into the garden, where it was partially covered by two old doors.
Later the following evening, his employer, named in court as Anthony Millward, texted Robertson to ask if everything was alright Robertson replied: “If you want the truth mate... i murdered someone in my house last night. So now need to fix it xxx.”.
At 10:51pm, Mr Millward responded: “Bloody hell mate….who was it? Is there anything I can do to help? x”. Three minutes later Robertson wrote: “Bring me a spade and some limestone if truth be told, the guy's hidden by two doors ATM (at the moment) x.”
Mr Millward suggested he did not believe Robertson, saying: “You are good at winding me up lol.” But at 11.17pm, Robertson began sending Mr Millward photographs of the mutilated body.
Mr Millward then sent a text stating, “if you are not winding me up mate, who is it?” to which Robertson responded, “Rob Sempi, he used to be chef at YMCA that’s how I know him, I’ve already had Merseyside police and his sis N bird phone me, I’m not winding U up. He’s still in my backyard.”
Mr Millward then asked “What are you going to do and say mate?” to which Robertson responded, “bury him N stick to him leaving in a taxi.” Mr Millward then texted stating, “they can trace his phone though” to which Robertson responded, “it's already gone mate. I’m not daft. I did record his last minutes tho. Don’t know what that makes me.”
Shortly after midnight on January 21, Mr Millward called Cheshire police to report the bizarre conversation. Robertson later claimed he had acted in self-defence but officers quickly discovered the horrific recording.
Nigel Power, QC, representing Robertson, said the attack was not pre-meditated and said his client had expressed remorse in a letter to the judge, describing his actions as “unforgivable.” Philip Astbury, representing Jervis, said his client was also sorry and that justice had not been seriously impeded by her actions in the end.
A victim impact statement read by Mr Sempey's partner of five years, Lisa Rigby, said: “Rob was a lovely man who just wanted to have fun. The night he went to your home that’s what he thought would happen, but you killed and tortured him...
There are so many questions we need answering, like how you two scumbags can do that to another human being when you have children of your own.”
A statement from his sisters, Michelle and Mandie, said: “He was a funny, loving father, brother and uncle. We were all that close that when we hadn't heard from him by the Saturday myself and Mandie knew something bad had happened to him, we could feel it.
“The day we found out what had happened destroyed my family - the Three Amigos became two.”
Detective inspector Matt Smith, of Merseyside Police, added: “The callous way Robertson carried out Robert’s killing, and the fact he chose to record part of the attack, will be incredibly shocking and upsetting for the community and has compounded the grief his family have endured since he died.
“The assistance Jervis provided to Robertson has also caused the family incredible upset.”
