Lawrence Bierton has been sentenced to a rare whole-life order at Nottingham Crown Court for murdering Pauline Quinn.

Bierton bludgeoned the 73-year-old to death with her coffee table in a "brutal" attack at her home in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, in November 2021.

He had been wrongly housed next to her while on licence from a life sentence for murdering two sisters in 1995.

Sentencing Bierton, Mr Justice Pepperall said: "You have been found guilty of the senseless and brutal murder of three elderly and disabled women in their own homes."

He said Bierton "showed each of the victims no mercy" and the "sustained attacks" included "extraordinary levels of violence".

He added: "I am left in no doubt whatsoever that you must never again be given the opportunity to walk the streets.

"The only just sentence in this case is that you should remain in prison for the rest of your life."

'Mistake' made in housing murderer

A Probation Service representative told the court the decision to grant Bierton, 63, accommodation in Rayton Spur, Worksop, was "incorrect".

Mr Justice Pepperall said it had been a "significant mistake".

In his sentencing remarks, the judge said: "That decision was flawed and you should not have been housed among elderly and vulnerable residents.

"Ms Quinn was entitled to expect better, and the system plainly failed her."

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The prisoners like Bierton and Letby serving whole-life sentences

The rare whole-life order was the first to be issued at Nottingham Crown Court since 2005.

They are the most severe penalty in the criminal justice system and are reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.

Other prisoners to receive whole-life orders include baby serial killer Lucy Letby and Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens.

Bierton was jailed for life in 1996 for killing sisters Aileen Dudley, 79, and Elsie Gregory, 73, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

They were bludgeoned and suffocated by Bierton and a co-defendant. Their bodies were then set on fire.

Bierton was found guilty of killing Ms Quinn after a two-week trial.