Mother can’t forgive Jia Ashton's killer
THE mother of a university graduate who was beaten to death has said she will never forgive her daughter’s killer.
Penny Ning’s comments came as David Simmonds was sentenced to a minimum term of 27 years and 213 days for murdering tiny Jia Ashton as she walked home from work in March. In a letter to the judge at Nottingham Crown Court, Ms Ning apologised for not being at the hearing yesterday but said the pain was just “too great”.
She said her life and that of her daughter’s husband Matthew had been destroyed by Simmonds. “He killed my hopes, my dreams and my future. All of my joy in life died with my darling daughter,” she said.
Mrs Ashton, 25, went missing on March 13. The graduate trainee’s body was found three days later in Sleetmoor Woods Derbyshire.
Simmonds, 21, of Heanor, Derbyshire, had denied murder but changed his plea.
The 6ft 2in, 19st killer is believed to have jumped or stamped on his 4ft 11in, six-and-a-half stone victim.
He killed my hopes, my dreams and my future. All of my joy in life died with my darling daughter
The Chinese-born Warwick University graduate was a business analyst for chocolate firm Thorntons.