‘Evil’ Shani Warren murderer sentenced to life in prison – Slough and Windsor Express
A serial sex offender has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a 26-year-old woman who was found dead at Taplow Lake 35 years ago.
Donald Robertson, 66, formerly of Slough, was found guilty of murdering Shani Warren by a unanimous Reading Crown Court jury on Tuesday following a two-week trial, as well as her indecent assault and false imprisonment.
He was also convicted of the rape and kidnap of a 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal rea…….
A serial sex offender has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a 26-year-old woman who was found dead at Taplow Lake 35 years ago.
Donald Robertson, 66, formerly of Slough, was found guilty of murdering Shani Warren by a unanimous Reading Crown Court jury on Tuesday following a two-week trial, as well as her indecent assault and false imprisonment.
He was also convicted of the rape and kidnap of a 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in July 1981.
Ms Warren’s body was found tied and gagged in Taplow Lake on April 18, 1987 by a dog walker, but at the time nobody was held responsible for her murder.
A pathologist believed then that she had taken her own life, but when police recently reinvestigated the case, they discovered Robertson’s DNA present on Ms Warren’s bra and a gag around her mouth.
His DNA was also a match on clothing belonging to the teenage rape victim.
Sentencing Robertson today (Thursday) at the same court, judge Mr Justice Wall called Robertson a ‘self-centred man’ who has ‘shown no remorse’ for his crimes.
“I am sure that when you pushed [Ms Warren] into the lake you intended that she should die,” he said.
“The suffering of losing someone in such brutal circumstances is unimaginable Having to wait so long for the truth must make that suffering even harder to endure.
“You did not admit these crimes, you have shown no remorse and did not even have the courage to attend this trial and confront the evidence.
“You are a self-centred man who cares nothing for the feelings of others and lacks any understanding of the way your conduct has destroyed other people’s lives.
“The only hope is that the knowledge that you have been caught allows them to move on with their lives.”
When passing sentence, Mr Justice Wall took into account a number of aggravating features against Robertson, including the sexual assault on Ms Warren (below) before her death at a time when she was known to be in fear of contracting AIDS.
The court had also heard that she had a fear of drowning, which was her eventual cause of death.
Mr Justice Wall added: “It was a particular fear she had – it is to be hoped that she never realised that her life was about to end in the way she most feared.”
The jury learned during the trial that Robertson had been a prolific sexual predator during the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
He was jailed for life in 2010 for a rape which occurred a few months after Ms Warren’s death – but this …….
