Man gets life for stepdaughter’s murder

A MAN was yesterday convicted of murdering his stepdaughter, then burying her body in a shallow grave.

Factory worker Michael Baldwin, aged 36, set out to cover his tracks by trying to convince his wife Desiree and the police that 15-year-old Jenna Baldwin was still alive.

He made silent telephone calls to family members and sent text messages purporting to be from the youngster, who went missing from her South Wales home last September.

Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Ronayne, who was in charge of the investigation, said after the verdict: “We should remember why we are here today, that a 15-year-old girl has lost her life and had it completely ripped away from her. The family can now at least begin to grieve.

“Michael Baldwin deliberately and cynically killed Jenna before then disposing of her body and deceiving her family in the worst possible way. Gwent Police would like to pay tribute to the way in which Desiree, Nigel Brookfield and other members of Jenna’s family have borne the pressures of the investigation and the trial. Without their persistence we would not have been where we are today.”

Speaking about Baldwin, he added: “I think he is a calculating, deceitful liar who was determined to cover his tracks and put his wife and his family through the most horrendous experience that can ever be inflicted on anyone. I am pleased for them that he has been found guilty of murder.”

Baldwin denied murdering Jenna last September. He told the court the teenager fell down stairs during an argument.

He said he panicked and put her in the car to take her to hospital, and that she died on the way.

Baldwin, of Lime Kiln Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, Gwent, claimed that as a result of panicking he decided to bury her.