Rebecca Rice

  Rebecca Rice (04 Aug 2006)

Rebecca (18), an aspiring model, was stabbed to death in the flat she shared with live-in boyfriend Stuart Adcock (34), after she told him she wished to end the relationship.

It is abhorrent that the barrister (Graham Parkins QC) for Adcock can say such ridiculous rubbish such as:

“[Adcock] had no history of real violence” and added: “We may never ever know how it started, what caused him to react or act in the way that he did. It is bizarre in the extreme.”

When other reports indicate that:

“[Adcock was] a fantasist with a history of violence”

“Stuart Adcock has shown over a number of years that he could be charming towards women when he is courting them,” said Mr Khalil [Prosecutor]. “But once they become his girlfriend he is inclined to become possessive, jealous and domineering. In early 2006 Rebecca Rice became his last girlfriend. The pattern I have just described repeated itself.”

Sadly, this is a typical case of a domestic violence fatality, whereby the perpetrator is jealous, possessive, and will not tolerate ‘his’ partner leaving him.

In February 2007, Adcock was sentenced to life with a recommended minimum of 16 years.

BBC (22 Feb 2007):

LIFE FOR ‘MI5 FANTASIST’ KILLER

An insurance worker who fantasised about working for MI5 has been jailed for life for murdering his 18-year-old girlfriend in their Suffolk home.

Part-time photographer Stuart Adcock, 34, left model Rebecca Rice, 18, to die after knifing her 10 times at the flat they shared in Pettistree, Suffolk.

Norwich Crown Court heard Adcock killed Miss Rice in August 2006 after she had said she was leaving him.

Adcock must serve a minimum of 16 years before being eligible for parole.

Prosecutor Karim Khalil said Adcock had been violent towards other girlfriends.

“Stuart Adcock has shown over a number of years that he could be charming towards women when he is courting them,” said Mr Khalil.

“But once they become his girlfriend he is inclined to become possessive, jealous and domineering.”

“In early 2006 Rebecca Rice became his last girlfriend. The pattern I have just described repeated itself.”

Mr Khalil said Miss Rice had become unhappy with Adcock and planned to return to her parents’ home nearby.

He added: “She planned to move back home with her parents. Adcock found out about that, whereupon he decided she would not be allowed to go.”

“In a frenzied attack, he knifed her many times in the kitchen of their flat and left her to bleed to death.”

MI5 claim

Mr Khalil said Adcock, who admitted the murder at an earlier hearing, was an insurance worker who had been employed by a number of companies, including Zurich and Norwich Union.

“But he had told people that he worked for MI5 and was significantly involved in the aftermath of the London bombings in July 2005. ”

“He said he had been in the Underground and seen all the dead bodies and he had become depressed after that.”

Adcock had told another woman he was employed “by the government in confidential work”, added Mr Khalil.

‘Friendly and bubbly’

Miss Rice was a talented athlete and horse rider who had done well at school and worked as a model, said Mr Khalil.

Friends described her as a “lovely girl “with a “friendly and bubbly personality”.

Graham Parkins, QC for Adcock, said his client had been suffering from depression since the end of 2004.

He said Adcock had no “history of real violence” and added: “We may never ever know how it started, what caused him to react or act in the way that he did. It is bizarre in the extreme.”

EADT24—Suffolk & Essex Online (23 Feb 2007):

FAMILY’S ANGUISH OVER KILLER’S SENTENCE
Danielle Nuttall

The heartbroken family of murdered teenager Rebecca Rice told of their devastation last night that her ‘merciless’ killer could be freed from jail in just 16 years.

Cocaine-using drug dealer Stuart Adcock, 33, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life in prison at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after admitting the murder of his 18-year-old girlfriend.

The photographer, who has a history of possessiveness and violence against former lovers, stabbed her 10 times during a frenzied attack, leaving her to die alone in the kitchen of the flat they shared in The Street, Pettistree, near Wickham Market, on August 4 last year.

Judge Peter Jacobs ordered the defendant to serve a minimum of 16 years before he could be considered for parole.

Speaking outside the court last night, Rebecca’s parents, Patrick and Anne, and their two sons, Dominic and Sebastian, of Letheringham, near Wickham Market, said the sentence was not enough and they had expected more.

“If he is released in 16 or 17 years he will come out my age and I have a life sentence for the rest of my life,” said Mrs Rice.

“It doesn’t seem fair he can come out and live for 20 years in society. He didn’t show any remorse.”

And the grieving mother spoke of her deep regrets over the tragedy.

“We wanted Rebecca to visit us, so we made him (Adcock) welcome. We didn’t choose our children’s boyfriends or girlfriends. No one is ever any good for your daughter,” she said.

“We just thought it would run its course. When she wanted to end the relationship, on that Friday, I said: ‘Talk about it, work things out. I think you could part friends’. I will regret that until the day I die.”

The court heard that Adcock, who is originally from Essex, was a fantasist whose lies included telling friends he had dealt with the aftermath of the London bombings and had worked for M15 on secret Government tasks.

Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting, told the court: “Stuart Adcock has shown over the years he can be charming and charismatic towards women when he is courting them, but once they become his girlfriend, his inclination is to become jealous, possessive and domineering.”

The couple met in January 2006 while Rebecca, a former Thomas Mills High School pupil and keen horsewoman, was studying for her AS levels.

Shortly afterwards, she lost interest in her studies and looked for more independence.

“Her parents were not pleased about the relationship. They were concerned about the significant age gap between them. But they made every effort to make him welcome in their home,” said Mr Khalil.

The couple moved to Essex for a couple of months but later Rebecca decided she wanted to move back to the area where she grew up because she missed her family and horses.

“The relationship changed over time. Initially, she was besotted by him. But as time went on she intended to leave,” said Mr Khalil.

Rebecca and Adcock, who worked for various insurance companies, were granted a tenancy at the White House in Pettistree and moved in on July 29.

But the teenager confided in her former boyfriend, Shane Marks, she was no longer happy with Adcock.

In a conversation, she told him she could not speak to male friends in Adcock’s presence and said she was not happy living with him.

And on Wednesday, August 2, she told Mr Marks again she wanted to move back with her parents and regretted the life she had made with Adcock.

“She had been told no-one was allowed to visit her at her new flat,” said Mr Khalil.

Rebecca told other friends Adcock saw everyone as a “potential threat” and spoke of having to lie to Adcock about reasons for leaving the house.

It also emerged Adcock had been intercepting her text messages.

“Adcock was a regular user of cocaine and sold the drug to others. None of her friends could understand why she was going out with him,” added Mr Khalil.

On Friday, August 4, Adcock left his work, at Norwich Union, at 5pm and caught the train back to Ipswich.

He was collected by Rebecca’s mother and grandmother and they all had an evening meal together before the couple drove home.

“Rebecca’s parents were due to fly to the USA that Sunday to meet up with their son who was on a gap year. They expected to hear from Rebecca on the Saturday night. She was making arrangements to look after their animals,” said Mr Khalil.

“They tried to contact her but got no reply.”

Mr and Mrs Rice reported their daughter missing to police on Sunday morning.

Officers could not gain entry to her property initially but on their return to flat, they were told Adcock had called police to report murdering Miss Rice.

They discovered her body at the foot of the stairs in a pool of blood.

As the harrowing details of her injuries were read out in court, Rebecca’s mother sobbed and was comforted by her husband.

The judge was told Rebecca had been stabbed 10 times on the front and back of her body.

One of the wounds was 12cm deep, piercing her liver, and experts had said she would have remained conscious while the injuries were being inflicted.

Adcock fled the property on the Friday evening in Miss Rice’s Renault car and disposed of her mobile phone, the court heard.

He ran out of petrol and was discovered in a caravan asleep near Hemsby, Norfolk, on Saturday.

But it was not until Sunday, August 6, that he called police to confess, after being persuaded by his brother.

“He said: ‘I’m handing myself in really. I think you will find people are looking for me for the suspected murder of my girlfriend,” said Mr Khalil.

When officers arrived to pick him up, they found a length of rope in a slip knot. He had also tried to slash his wrists.

Adcock told police Rebecca had attacked him first, stabbing him in the chest with a knife. He said he had felt an “overwhelming feeling of fear”.

But Judge Jacobs dismissed his story completely, saying he had no shadow of doubt that Rebecca, described as quiet and gentle in court, had used no knife whatsoever on Adcock.

Graham Parkins QC, representing Adcock, said: “This man, through all the wrong, hurt and harm he has caused, has never denied the death of Rebecca has been his responsibility.

“He’s demonstrating appropriate remorse. He knows the harm he has done. He’s not a man who is a danger to the public.”

In sentencing Adcock, Judge Jacobs said: “This was a frenzied attack in which you were completely out of control.

“You left that girl still conscious and bleeding to death on the floor of the kitchen. You made no attempt to help her yourself.”

After the hearing, Mr Rice, an insurance worker, said he wanted to thank the police for their hard work on the case and their liaison officers for their support.

The family then moved on to Norwich Cathedral where they could grieve privately.

EADT24—Suffolk & Essex Online (25 Feb 2007):

FAMILY’S HEARTBREAK AT TEENAGER’S MURDER
Mark Bulstrode

The world of Rebecca Rice’s family was turned upside down on August 4 last year when they discovered their precious daughter and sister had been murdered.

On Thursday, her ex-partner Stuart Adcock, 33, a fantasist with a history of violence, was jailed for life with a recommendation he serve at least 16 years.

During the court case, it emerged he had stabbed 18-year-old Rebecca 10 times during a frenzied knife attack, leaving her to die alone in the kitchen of the flat they shared in The Street, Pettistree, near Wickham Market.

Before Adcock was sentenced, Rebecca’s heartbroken mother, father and two brothers, of Letheringham, near Wickham Market, wrote victim impact statements to be read by the judge. They have now passed these to the EADT.

Here, in their own words, they open their hearts to describe the agony they have felt since the death of their beloved “Bec”.

Anne Rice, Rebecca’s mother:

Life lost all meaning and purpose for me on August 4, 2006, the last time I saw my precious daughter alive. The next time I saw her was on August 7 in the Ipswich Hospital mortuary. I struggled to recognise her, as the body did not look like my lively, beautiful Rebecca.

I find it difficult to comprehend Rebecca had her life taken away so brutally. For your child to be murdered, stabbed to death by someone who was supposed to care for her, leaves me in a living nightmare.

My life sentence began on August 4. I look forward to the rest of my life with anguish. Her death fills me with sadness, immeasurable grief, horror and an emptiness that will never be filled. How can a heart that has been shattered into so many pieces ever be repaired?

The last thought before I sleep is Rebecca’s death and the first thing when I wake up is again the thought of the violence she suffered at his hands, that is if I have been able to sleep.

The future fills me with fear, all the years ahead of me with nothing but pain and tears. Three years time, will my grief be any less? I think not. Rebecca would have been 21 and we would be celebrating her birthday. Ten years time, Rebecca would have been 28, what career would she have had? Perhaps married with children of her own, my grandchildren. I sometimes imagine what kind of wedding dress she might have had. Instead of arranging her marriage, we arranged her funeral. Instead of a horse drawn carriage taking her to her wedding, she was carried in a horse drawn hearse.

The most horrendous thing a parent can do is to bury their child. A child taken so wickedly, so cruelly and so selfishly, by another person.

The thought of her suffering immeasurable pain and experiencing fear whilst being stabbed by this monster horrifies me.

Yes, I am a victim also. Yes, I am broken by this act of barbarity. Rebecca was 18. She had only known school, she hadn’t yet embarked on her adult career.

Her friends visit me and they are heartbroken. What a start to their adult life, grieving for their friend. They cry, they don’t understand such cruelty.

I watch my two sons cry at Rebecca’s grave. I don’t know how to comfort them, I feel useless. I watch my mother and husband cry, once again I feel useless. We don’t live in this world in a vacuum, our actions affect other people. Adcock’s actions affected many people, it’s a ripple effect that will continue over the years.

I know that some day I will be with my precious daughter again and I cling on to that belief.

A friend of Rebecca’s wrote: “I feel sorry for all the people who have not yet met Rebecca, and now they never will”.

Patrick, Rebecca’s father:

I woke up again this morning at 3am. I tried to get back to sleep, but couldn’t, so here I am sitting at the kitchen table at 3.40am writing this note. It probably didn’t help that when I came home last night my 22-year-old son, Dominic, was sitting in his room bawling his eyes out. I didn’t need to ask him why, as I have been there myself on so many occasions.

I have been going over and over in my mind the events of the 48 hours between the evening of August 4 (when Rebecca was last seen) and the evening of August 6 (when Rebecca’s body was found) and relating these memories back to what was said in court on the date of a recent hearing, Friday, February 2. The words of the defence counsel, Graham Parkins, have been gnawing away at me from the very first moment they were spoken.

How is it that, as claimed by Mr Parkins’ client, Stuart Adcock, our anxiety has been relieved by him confessing, at the 11th hour, to his heinous crime?

He will never suffer the torment and anguish of endless nights of sleep deprivation that we have all had to endure in the intervening period (and will no doubt continue to suffer from in the months and years to come), nor the breaking down in tears at any time of the day, for no apparent reason.

The only recompense I can gain in the years I have left on this earth, is the knowledge that Adcock is safely behind bars and will never get the opportunity to do to any other innocent and unsuspecting teenager what he did to our Rebecca.

He is a wicked man and our lives have been totally destroyed by his callousness and utter disregard for our daughter’s life.

Dominic, Rebecca’s brother:

On August 7, 2006 my life, as I knew it, changed forever.

My experience of the final month of my sister’s life will leave me heartbroken forever.

By the time she passed away it had already been five months since I last saw Bec – and I was already greatly missing her.

From March 2006, I had been travelling around the world with a friend. On August 7, I arrived at Vancouver for the final leg of my travelling before returning home. I was checking into a hostel when the receptionist informed me the police were looking for me. At first, I thought it was a wind-up. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the news that was about to follow.

I sat down and a police officer, with a serious expression on his face, he said: “We have heard some news from England -,” at which point I cut him off and asked whether Mum and Dad were ok.

He then uttered the words: “It is in regards to your sister, she passed away at the weekend. I’m really sorry”.

At this point my forehead fell into my palm in disbelief. My instant thoughts were that a tragic accident had occurred and that Bec was killed in a car crash or something had happened when she was riding her beloved horse Bobby.

When I spoke to Mum that she told me that Bec had been murdered and that Stuart Adcock (“Adcock”) had been arrested for it.

The flight home was truly awful. I have never, and never will again, feel so alone.

The last thing I ever said to my little sister was that I couldn’t wait to see her when I got home. And the last words Bec said to me were of a similar nature.

I am grateful for all these last memories I have of Bec, but there is a pain deep-within that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I love my Mum, Dad, brother and all of my family so much but, whenever we have a meal now or sit in the lounge, it does not feel like the whole family is there – and it never will. Things will never be the same again.

Sebastian, Rebecca’s brother:

Writing this statement is something I have been putting off doing until now, six months after the event that changed our lives forever.

It’s not because it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do – that was going with my mum, dad and nan to identify my sister’s body in the mortuary, or standing beside them, hand-in-hand with my brother, while her coffin was lowered into the ground at her funeral over a month later.

I have been putting off writing this statement because it is the first time I have had to open up to exactly how Bec’s murder has affected me.

I don’t think anything can prepare you for hearing the news that your little sister has been taken before her time. Up until now, I’d had very little close-hand experience of death. I was one of those naïve people who believed that this kind of thing doesn’t happen to you, it happens to other people.

Growing up, Bec and I were extremely close, I would say from the day she was first born. Never did I imagine she would be taken from us so swiftly, callously and unfairly.

I don’t want to talk too much about Stuart Adcock because I don’t know him, nobody in my family did. Nobody could have foreseen what kind of person he really was, and how he could devastate our family in such a way.

When I come home to see my parents, I always notice the sadness in their eyes and I know I will never see them truly happy again. That is the hardest thing for me because I know that whatever pain or emotion I am going through, it is so much harder for them.

I think my most treasured memory of Bec is a thank you card she wrote to me last year thanking me for her birthday present. I wish I had kept all the cards she gave me and I wished that I had told her more than I loved her and that I was proud of her.

But I was one of those naïve people that didn’t think this kind of thing happened to them. I’m sorry, Bec, I never said these things enough, but I will love you forever and will always be so proud of everything you did in your short life.

You will never be forgotten.

  Stuart Adcock (34), life with a minimum 16 years