THE KILLER of Reanne Coulson in Coventry has today been jailed.
Mohammed Durnion, 42, was today (Thursday March 26) sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, having been convicted of manslaughter earlier this week following a trial.
His accomplice Adam Moore, 39, was found guilty of assisting an offender. He was jailed for six years.
Durnion had taken Reanne Coulson to his flat in Paynes Lane, near Coventry city centre, at just after 11.20pm on May 21 last year.
Within minutes he attacked 33-year-old Reanne before hiding her inside the address overnight.
The following day Durnion took her body to Binley Woods and buried it in a shallow grave he dug with his friend Adam Moore.
The body would not be found for another five-and-a-half weeks.
The pair were arrested followed a large-scale police investigation to establish exactly what happened to Reanne, who was reported as missing on June 11.
It was while in custody that an emotional Durnion broke down in front of detectives and agreed to lead officers to where she was in Binley Woods.
Police enquiries established that the last known sighting of Reanne was near the church she attended in Raglan Street at just before 10pm on May 21 – and that Durnion had been driving through the area that same evening.
Later that night, officers responded to reports a woman could be heard screaming from within Durnion’s flat.
Durnion denied officers access to the flat, telling them he was suffering a mental health crisis, and walked off.
Officers forced their way into the property, but there was no clear sign of anyone being there.
The flat was found in an extremely poor condition with no electricity, items scattered everywhere and a bucket for a toilet.
Police issued a series of public appeals – with Reanne’s brave family also pleading for information on her whereabouts – following her disappearance.
Police established Durnion had returned to the flat in the early hours of May 22, after officers had left.
He managed to get back inside and retrieve Reanne’s body, which he had hidden. He put the body in a suitcase and drove to dense woodland, digging the grave, and using petrol to burn her body.
Durnion said he had taken a large amount of cocaine and during the trial he admitted to ‘manhandling’ Reanne. However, he claimed she died of an overdose.
When Durnion was asked about his behaviour when officers knocked his door, he confirmed he had hidden Reanne beneath a duvet and a mattress and lied to the officers multiple times to prevent them from accessing his flat.
A post mortem examination was unable to establish a cause of death, but it revealed that Reanne appeared to have sustained head and neck injuries while alive. She was also found with burn injuries which occurred following her death.
Officers also uncovered the role of his friend Moore, who had driven with Durnion, in separate cars, to Binley Woods on the afternoon of May 22.
Moore said he had done this out of concern for the welfare of Durnion, but it was done to either assist him in digging the grave or acting as a lookout. Phone records and soil samples taken from his footwear were able to confirm his presence.
Reanne Coulson – ‘a devoted mother, a loving daughter, a caring sister and a loyal friend’.
A statement from Reanne’s family said: “We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this incredibly difficult time.
“We also want to extend our sincere thanks to all the witnesses who came forward. Your courage, honesty, and willingness to speak has meant more to our family than we can ever fully express.
“As these proceedings come to a close, our focus remains where it has always been – on Reanne.
“Reanne was a devoted mother, a loving daughter, a caring sister and a loyal friend. She was beautiful and kind.
“Her warmth and humour touched everyone who knew her. She is missed every single day.
“She was an irreplaceable part of the family and the space she leaves will never be filled.
“As a family the loss of Reanne has changed our lives forever. As her Mum and Dad this has been devastating beyond anything we could ever have imagined.
“It has broken us in ways that words can not fully express and we continue to face each day carrying a grief that no parent should ever have to bare.
“It is unimaginable, it is cruel, yet even in this pain we find strength in one another and in the love Reanne gave so freely.
“The absence of Reanne is felt in every part of our daily lives – in the moments she should be here for, in the laughter that is quieter without her and in the love we continue to carry for her.
“We move forward together holding on to her memory and supporting each other the way she would have wanted.
“We ask that Reanne is remembered not for the circumstances of her passing but for the beautiful vibrant person she was.
“We appreciate the continued privacy and compassion shown to our family as we navigate life without her.”
Det Insp Nigel Box, from West Midlands Police’s homicide unit, said: “This was a brutal attack on a defenceless woman which took place within minutes of her entering Durnion’s home.
“He then took her to a secluded place where she was buried, burnt and left for weeks.
“He carried on with his life while Reanne’s family and friends were left unaware of where she was and making constant worried efforts to contact her.
“Durnion did everything he could to distract officers at his flat and try to shift the focus, he’d also deliberately hidden Reanne’s body within the address.
“It was only when our investigation closed in on him, and he was shown the emotive pleas for information from Reanne’s family, that he told detectives where she was and took them to her, although he still tried to deny killing her.
“Moore will have known exactly what was going on and, maybe through misplaced loyalty, he decided to help Durnion rather than spare Reanne’s family the prolonged agony of not knowing what had happened to her. He has now too been convicted of a serious offence.
“This was a large and intensive investigation to establish exactly what happened to Reanne, with extensive work to trace phone calls, movements of those involved and forensics.
“It is a tragic case and our thoughts, as always, remain with Reanne’s loved ones who have shown incredible courage and dignity. We know nothing will sadly ever bring Reanne back, but her killer now faces a significant jail term.”
