A pub chef who murdered a woman while she walked her dog will spend nearly six more years in prison after Court of Appeal judges increased his sentence. Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25-and-a-half years in February for killing Claire Knights, 54, in Kent almost two years ago.
He ambushed her as she walked back from a beach near Minnis Bay, sexually assaulted and then murdered her before hiding her body in a dyke. The 21-year-old then "feigned" symptoms of psychosis following his arrest, the Court of Appeal was told on Friday.
Sentence increased to 31 years
His sentence was referred by the Solicitor General for being unduly lenient, with Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Calver and Judge Angela Morris increasing Van-Pooss' minimum term to one of 31 years. Jonathan Polnay KC, for the Solicitor General, said the judge at Canterbury Crown Court did not give enough weight to how Ms Knights had been targeted as a lone woman, the extreme nature of the violence and that her body had been hidden for two days before it was discovered.
He also said the judge gave too much credit for Van-Pooss's guilty plea and his sentence therefore "required an uplift of substance". Stephen Moses KC, for Van-Pooss, said the targeting was "a matter of moments rather than pre-meditated".
Previous upskirting offence revealed
Van-Pooss also pleaded guilty to upskirting another woman at the pub where he worked the day before he killed Ms Knights. After she reported this, Van-Pooss was dismissed on 22 August 2023, and he left, carrying a backpack with a chef's knife inside.
He then built a "den" by the railway lines near Minnis Bay, Lord Justice Edis said in his judgment. Ms Knights was believed to have been walking a white and brown spaniel called Zebulon when she ran into Van-Pooss the following day.
Brutal attack details emerge
Van-Pooss acted in a "simple" and "calculated" way, the judge added, as he beat her and stomped on her head, causing fractures and brain damage. Ms Knights was found concealed in a dyke, having been pushed into the water while she was still alive.
Van-Pooss was arrested for the upskirting offence on the evening of the killing, and was later charged with murder. Lord Justice Edis said the killing of a lone woman created "widespread concern in the local community" and that Van-Pooss received an unduly lenient sentence.
Court acknowledges sentencing error
He said: "We consider that the judge, in approaching this difficult task, did fall into error because even having regard to double counting, the aggravating factors did outweigh the mitigating factors." Solicitor General Lucy Rigby said: "Lawrence Van-Pooss's attack on Claire Knights was horrific. He assaulted and brutally murdered her, in a totally random attack."
"I welcome the court's decision to increase Van-Pooss's sentence and I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Claire's family and loved ones."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
