A man who killed his 15-year-old sister in a caravan has had his sentence increased to life in prison.
Matthew Selby, 20, choked his sister Amanda to death at Ty Mawr Holiday Park in Towyn, Conwy county, in July 2021.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility and was jailed for five years in December 2022.
The Court of Appeal ruled Selby, of Windermere Crescent, Ashton-under-Lyne, should serve life with a minimum term of three years and four months.
This new sentence will have the amount of time he has already spent in prison deducted from the total and Selby must have his case considered by the Parole Board before he can be released.
Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said the case was a “tragedy from every perspective and for everyone involved”.
The siblings had been on holiday with their father when they returned to their caravan after a trip and began arguing.
Selby lunged at Amanda after she hit him with a plug, causing a minor injury to his bottom lip.
Amanda, from Greater Manchester, then fell to the floor between two beds in the room before Selby began choking her.
The court heard Selby has autism spectrum disorder with intermittent explosive disorder, which causes aggressive outbursts.
He previously received a caution for battery against a teacher in 2014 when he was 11 and a conviction for two offences of battery, against his sister and mother, in 2015.
The court was told that the Attorney General’s office did not dispute parts of the original judge’s sentencing, but having found Selby was dangerous, they “should have imposed a discretionary life sentence to protect the public”.
Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mrs Justice Heather Williams, said there was no evidence to say how long Selby may pose a risk to the public.
“What the court is concerned with at this point is risk to others,” he added.
“We are satisfied that the criteria for the imposition of a life sentence was and has been met.”
He said that the risk posed by Selby and the lack of evidence about how long he may pose a danger “lead to the conclusion that the sentence imposed by the judge below should be quashed”.
In a tribute, Amanda’s family said: “Amanda was a loving daughter and granddaughter – she was caring, thoughtful, liked to help others and very much loved.”
The teenager’s school, Droylsden Academy in Manchester, added that she was a “lovely student” who will be “sorely missed”.
Meanwhile her jiu-jitsu club said: “The Kamiza Dojo family is truly devastated by this awful news. We are truly heartbroken.”
Source – BBC News
