Man given mandatory life sentence with minimum of 22 years for murder of Neil Parkinson.

[Hereford Voice]

A man has been jailed for the murder of Neil Parkinson, who was found dead in Cotheridge in Worcestershire last December.

Neil, who was 66, from Clifton-Upon-Teme was leaving his partner’s property in Cotheridge on Saturday 12 December when it is believed he was attacked at the end of the driveway. He and his vehicle were driven to a layby on the Ankerdine Road and set alight. 

On Monday (16 August 2021), Mark Chilman, 52, from Pencombe in Bromyard, was given a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 22 years after a jury found him guilty of murder.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Dean Jones, from West Mercia Police’s Major Investigation Unit, said: “I’m pleased that a significant sentence has been handed to Chilman for the brutal murder of Neil Parkinson.

“Chilman committed a senseless act that ended Neil’s life prematurely, and he will now serve a considerable sentence in prison where he cannot cause further harm to the wider public.

“Neil Parkinson’s family have understandably been left devastated, Neil was simply leaving his partners home to return home to take care of his elderly mother when he was tragically killed in a senseless attack and my thoughts and condolences remain with them.”

Neil’s family have paid tribute to him: 

“Neil was a loving, caring, happy person who enjoyed life to the full; his infectious personality will be missed by all of his family and friends in our local community and further afield that he had met throughout his life.

“We would like to express our thanks to all parties involved in bringing the evil, calculated individual to justice that took Neil from us. This includes the Police force members that have been involved from the tragic start, throughout court and continue to support us at this heart-breaking time. We would also like to express our gratitude to the courts and jury members that have heard the case.”

Neil’s family continued: “As a family it’s been a very difficult eight months and our lives have been changed forever. The result from court today means we can have some peace now that the individual responsible for Neil’s death will spend time within the prison system away from society. We take a small amount of comfort that at least he cannot cause harm and the grief to anyone else, like he did to Neil and our family. We hope that during his time in prison he reflects and regrets his actions.

“Neil will be sorely missed by all his family and the memories of him as a loving father, grandfather, brother and son and will be remembered dearly for all the happy times.”