Joe Rankin jailed for 24 years for Emma Potter murder

Warning: This article contains graphic details which some readers may find upsetting

A man who stabbed a disabled woman to death and then had sex with her body has been jailed for at least 24 years.

Joe Rankin, 34, killed 40-year-old Emma Potter at her flat in Stroud on 20 September last year, but her body lay undiscovered until 4 November.

Rankin admitted what he had done to a friend six days after police forced entry into the victim's home.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years at Bristol Crown Court on Friday after admitting murder.

The court heard that Ms Potter had cerebral palsy and relied on a stick or frame to walk, and had callipers to support her legs.

Rankin, who lived close to Ms Potter on Langtoft Road, was addicted to cocaine, heroin and cannabis when he killed her.

He stabbed the victim, whom he knew, repeatedly in her chest, stomach, arm, leg and neck.

The court was told the defendant later told a psychiatrist he had gone to the property with the intention of killing Ms Potter, and admitted having sex with her body after her death.

Rankin's motive for killing Ms Potter has never been established, but after the murder he resumed his life as normal.

Her body was only found after police attended the property after concerns were raised for her welfare, and had extensive signs of decomposition.

On 10 November, Rankin walked past the property, which had a police presence outside, with a friend.

He told the friend: "I'm as good as dead. It was me that killed Emma. It was me that did it, it was me that killed her."

Police were alerted and Rankin was arrested at his home a short time later.

He pleaded guilty to her murder at a court hearing in May.

In a victim personal statement read to the court on the day of his sentencing, Ms Potter's mother said her daughter had been "cherished".

"How can her murderer live with the knowledge of what he has done to a fellow human being?" she said.

Jailing Rankin, Judge Peter Blair KC, the Recorder of Bristol, said Ms Potter's condition meant she would have been "less able to defend herself if attacked".

He described Rankin's treatment of the victim's body as an act "of gross desecration and insult".

Judge Blair added that Ms Potter had mental health problems and her family feared that due to her sociable nature she was being "taken advantage of" by people using her flat.

"Their sense of grief, unanswered questions and sense of helplessness is undoubtedly acute," he said.

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