A man who murdered a woman in her Dudley home while carrying out building work has been jailed for life.

Peter Norgrove, from Sedgley, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Courton 31 January for killing Sharon Gordon in July last year and will serve at least 15 years before being eligible for parole.

Self-employed Norgrove was a recently qualified bricklayer whose services had been recommended to Mrs Gordon by a friend at the church they both attended. The 40-year-old agreed to undertake extension work at Mrs Gordon’s property two years ago but the work was proving problematic and was taking many months to complete.

On Friday 21 July 2023, having not heard back following attempts to contact her, concerned friends called at Mrs Gordon’s home in Bromford Road and found her at the foot of the stairs with severe head injuries. Sadly, Mrs Gordon had died the day before.

West Midlands Police launched an investigation into Mrs Gordon’s death, during which they quickly established that Norgrove had been carrying out work at the property on the day she died. Norgrove confirmed this in a witness statement, claiming he had gone about his work as usual and that Mrs Gordon was working upstairs when he left for the day.

However, through extensive CCTV enquiries, Police were able to prove he had told lies in his statement about his actions after he left and he was arrested. Camera footage from Mrs Gordon’s property captured on the day in question also showed Norgrove behaving in a manner that suggested his involvement in her death and through further enquiries, and they traced his movements to a relative’s address where they found blood-stained items in a wheelie bin.

Further searches of the address revealed a lump hammer secreted in a shed, and tests found traces of Mrs Gordon’s blood on it. These traces were not immediately visible to the human eye but fortunately a victim detection dogs beckoned officers to the hammer, which led to seizing and testing the item.

Norgrove was charged with Mrs Gordon’s murder on 26 July. He was remanded in custody and pleaded guilty to the offence at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 4 December. Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, who led the investigation, said:

“Mrs Gordon tragically lost her life following a violent attack by Peter Norgrove, which appears to have stemmed from him losing his temper after a disagreement over the work he was carrying out.

“Mrs Gordon’s friends and family have been deeply affected by her death, and while Norgrove has now faced the consequences of his appalling actions, our thoughts remain with them as they continue to grieve.”

Mrs Gordon’s family have spoken about the effect her death continues to have on them. They said: “We remain devastated at the loss of our beloved sister Sharon and our lives will never be the same again.

"Sharon had much to live for, and no one could anticipate that renovating your home would end in murder. Sharon simply wanted to improve her home, but sadly she was brutally taken and will never enjoy any of its benefits.

“We would like to thank the CPS and police for convicting the defendant so swiftly. We would like to request that you respect our privacy.”