Inside the dingy cling-film-covered flat where obsessive loner Edward Tenniswood lured India Chipchase to her death
THE chilling first pictures have emerged from inside the rented terraced home where India Chipchase was murdered.
Loner Edward Tenniswood had covered the floors and furnishings with CLING-FILM as he found it an easier way to keep clean.
It was in the bedroom of the dingy one-bedroomed property that India was brutally murdered by the sick bookkeeper after he had promised to take her home safely.
The pictures emerged as Tenniswood was to sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years this afternoon for the murder after a jury took an hour and 45 minutes to convict him.
Sentencing him to life the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, told the court: "This was a terrible crime. It was committed because the defendant was determined to satisfy his own sexual desires on an attractive and much younger woman. It was a crime of utter depravity."
He added: "To lose a child at any time and for any reason is a tragedy, but to lose a daughter in the way India's parents did is unimaginable."
During the trial the court heard how Tenniswood , who claims to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, covered his home in plastic wrapping to keep it clean.
Residents living near Tenniswood's home called on the property to be bulldozed and turned into a memorial garden.
One neighbour said: "It's the house from hell where the devil himself murdered an innocent woman in the prime of her life.
"It needs to come down as soon as possible and turned into a memorial garden or something."
He said: "It seems illogical to keep cleaning it to use it.
“Instead you just replace the cling film, rather than the rigmarole of cleaning."
When police broke down the door, they found India's body lying fully clothed on a mattress on the floor of the front bedroom.
The home was covered in plastic sheets and food bowls covered with plates - even the computer was covered in plastic wrap.
Newspaper clippings of attractive women that Tenniswood had been obsessed with were also found lying around property - and the home was so covered in plastic that even the bowls and PC were shrouded.
The deluded killer even kept a chilling photograph of top fashion model who bore a striking resemblance to his victim India Chipchase.
During his rambling defence, Tenniswood claimed to have “documentary evidence” of a relationship with former cover-girl Heather Stewart-Whyte.
But Miss Stewart-White denied ever knowing Tenniswood.
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Birmingham Crown Court had earlier heard how India’s body was found with over 30 separate injuries after she was raped, battered and strangled to death.
Doctor’s daughter India – who was 5ft 1in and weighed 8st 5lbs – had gone out with friends in Northampton the night of Friday January 29 but they became separated.
She ended up outside the front entrance of a club at about 1am on the Saturday morning.
As India was led from the nightclub the worse for wear earlier that night, bouncer David Burry recalled her repeatedly telling him: “I just want to go home.”
The bouncer took her to a taxi but, according to the driver, she “threw a wobbly” when asked to pay the fare in advance and got out to lean against the nightclub’s wall.
At 1.11am, Tenniswood arrived at NB’s nightclub, with CCTV showing him turning to look at Ms Chipchase, who was standing alone using her phone, before homing in on her minutes later.
Tenniswood could be seen craning his head over Ms Chipchase and putting his arm around her in chilling CCTV.
A witness overheard him say: “‘We’ll make sure we get you home in a taxi safely’.”
Prosecutors said there was evidence that Ms Chipchase put up a struggle against her attacker after she had been taken back to the flat, with Tenniswood’s blood under one of her fingernails.
Instead of raising the alarm Tenniswood spent the next 22 hours drinking lager in an Ibis hotel until police arrested him.
Chillingly, he told them: “I'm surprised you were here so quick. It didn't take you long.”
Following sentencing Detective Chief Inspector Steve Woliter called Tenniswood "the worst kind of predator".
Today India's devastated dad told of his heartache after his daughter was raped and killed by evil Tenniswood.
Jeremy Chipchase, 49, read an emotional statement in which he spoke at his heartache at never walking his daughter down the aisle.
Sitting by a family photo of India, Mr Chipchase said: "I sincerely hope there's no possibility that another woman ever falls into the hands of my daughter's murderer."
He said no other father should ever have to hear the news that their daughter had been found dead, or see the faces of his daughter's two sisters and brother as they were told.
His voice cracked with emotion as he said: "No other father will have to see their daughter's body in the mortuary and be told they are unable to touch or kiss her one last time.
The doctor added: "No other father will have to touch the coffin and say 'love you, Ind' and see the curtain close in the crematorium.
"No other father will be hit with a wave of emotion at a wedding, as I was, realising I would never walk India down the aisle.
"We will continue to have this pain, anguish and emotion until our last breaths."
In a statement read to court, India’s mum Susan said her daughter "lit up a room" and had ideas of becoming a life-saving paramedic.
She said her daughter's death at Tenniswood's hands had robbed her family of a "vibrant" young woman of great potential.
As Tenniswood was sentenced, he continued to stare at the ground tightly flanked by four security guards.
Police revealed the vile killer, who had no previous convictions, was caught after his image - taken off the nightclub CCTV footage - was identified by an officer, which led to cops breaking down his door and discovering Ms Chipchase dead.
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