A LYING killer asked cops for a lighter after he blasted his girlfriend in the head – before being bundled to the ground.
Richard Basson, 45, was swarmed by police after he called 999 saying his partner Carrie Slater ran into a pool cue amid a row over half a cigarette.
But the truth was he’d shot the 37-year-old in the forehead at their home in Long Clawson, Leics., causing a traumatic brain injury which she died of two days later.
The monster had tried to pin the attack on Carrie saying she’d come at him with a knife, before stabbing it into a door – and he always denied murder.
But Basson couldn’t convince a jury and he was today found guilty of murder in the Leicester Crown Court.
A clip of the 45-year-old manic state after he shot his girlfriend was today released by cops.
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In the footage, snapped on a police body cam, Basson can be seen acting manic as cops surround him outside the home he and Carrie shared.
He can be heard fake crying as officers inch closer to him.
The killer can be heard panicking about the sheer amount of police approaching him before he says: “Can somebody please just give me a light?”
Basson then tries to claim his partner came up to him with a knife and stabbed it into the door.
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The liar the tries to say he retaliated, and jabbed a pool cue at Carrie – which hit her in the head.
One of the officers can be heard calmly speaking to Basson, asking his name, before he launches at him.
The killer is then bundled to the ground by the cops.
Basson had phoned 999 at around 6.45pm on September 21 last year.
In the call the killer says: “I stabbed her in the face with a pool cue but I didn’t mean to stab her, I meant like just warn her and like jab at her and she walked straight into it with her head down.”
Operator: “Okay, so you stabbed her in the face?”
Basson: “I’ve hit her, I’ve hit her directly in the centre of the forehead and then it’s drifted off to her right, my left…
Operator: “Okay and what was it that you used?”
Basson: “Erm a pool cue, brass-ended pool cue.”
When emergency services arrived at the couple’s home, they found Carrie fighting for her life on a bedroom floor.
As she was rushed to hospital, and underwent scans, it became obvious the 37-year-old had been shot.
Family’s tribute to Carrie:
Carrie’s family released an emotional tribute in the days after her death.
It read: “Carrie was loved by all of us.
“She was a daughter and beloved sister to her siblings.
“We’re still coming to terms with what happened.
“It’s difficult to put into words how we’re feeling but nothing we say is going to bring her back.
“She grew up in Grantham and we know there are people there who will be devasted to learn that she’s no longer with us.
“We’re supporting one another as we grieve and ask for privacy at this time.”
When cops scoured the property they found a self-loading pistol and four rounds of ammunition – two live and two spent – in the back garden.
Carrie was on life support for two days, until she was pronounced dead by doctors on September 23.
Jurors previously heard how Home Office pathologist later recovered the bullet that killed her, while police found the gun and two empty cartridges in the couple’s garden.
Jurors were told Basson, who had 68 rounds of live ammunition at the property, had previously been violent towards Carrie.
He was convicted of wounding in 2006 in relation to an incident a year earlier in which a man was stabbed, jurors heard.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said: “He was no stranger to the use of unlawful violence. Carrie’s sisters remember seeing her with bruises.”
Detective Inspector Emma Matts, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) major crime team, today said: “My thoughts and condolences go out to Carrie’s family and loved ones, who I know are still struggling to come to terms with their loss and understand why Carrie was killed.
“Hopefully today’s outcome provides a degree of closure to those who were closest to her.
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“Only Basson knows why he killed a woman he claimed to love. He’s never explained his actions. He’s never shown any remorse for killing another person.”
Basson will be sentenced tomorrow.
How you can get help:
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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Jane Matthews
