SWNS
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his ex-partner, who disappeared without a trace as he left a bar more than a decade ago
The family of a woman who disappeared without a trace more than a decade ago said they were desperate to find out where her remains were dumped after her killer was convicted of murder. Darren Osment, 41, was given a life sentence today (Wednesday) and was told he would face at least 20 years in prison for the murder of mother-of-four Claire Holland. He was last seen leaving a bar in Bristol during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and despite numerous high-profile appeals and campaigns over the years no trace of him has been found. Bristol Crown Court heard he killed Claire and admitted multiple times that he did so because his children were taken into care, including to an undercover police officer. He was 32 at the time and had said he planned to meet Osment after a drinking session at the Seamus O’Donnell bar on the night of June 6, 2012. He was found guilty of murder after a trial and described by a judge today (Wednesday) as a “vile” selfish murderer who prolonged the family’s suffering for 11 years. Claire’s family told the court they were unable to mourn properly because her killer never admitted what he did to her body. And sentencing him, Her Honor Mrs Justice Cutts told him: “You robbed him of the future he deserved. “You robbed him of his children. You have made his pain much worse with your actions since his death. “For 11 years, no one but you knew what happened to Claire. “The police had an extensive missing persons investigation but we couldn’t find her. “You could and should have told the police what happened. You should have and could have admitted that you killed Claire. They were left with the pain of not knowing where she was and what happened. “You left the family in limbo. “Yet it was clear you couldn’t live with the burden of what you had done. “I accept that this bothered you and that you relived your confessions to a total of six people. If you were truly remorseful, you would tell the police and face the consequences of your crime. “You only thought about yourself.” The judge said that at the time of her death, Claire had begun “a new chapter in her life” after a difficult early life and was “justifiably proud of herself”. Claire added: “From the deeply moving testimonies, he was a deeply loved, warm and lively person. “He had high hopes that his children would be able to live with him in time. “He was happy and optimistic about the future. “He had a new beginning ahead of him; You deprived him of this new beginning; You deprived him of the future he deserved.” The judge told him: “In your mother’s words, you were a disgusting drunk, abusive and violent towards women. Claire was also the target of this violence.” In his remarks, the judge also rejected the claim in one of his confessions that he had hired someone to kill her. “I am sure that you killed her yourself,” he added. “You were living a bad life and had no money to pay anyone else; It was a way of distracting yourself from the horror of what you had done.” The judge said he was sure the woman “was responsible for the dismemberment and concealment of her body” and that she was “most likely” strangled and thrown into the water. “For their sake, I would ask you to stand by your actions and determine where the body could be found , so her body can be buried.” At today’s hearing, various statements from Claire’s family were also read out in court about the impact on victims. Her sister Sarah Holland said: “It’s never easy; He is missed and loved very much. “Not being able to fully experience her grief was extremely difficult. Not being able to say goodbye to my sister left a void that could never be filled. “There was never a final resting place; This was another thing stolen from him. Pain and sorrow will never leave me; I just keep learning new ways to live with them. Michaela Holland, another of Claire’s sisters, said years later: “Today we got justice for Claire.” She said Osment caused her father “unimaginable pain” and read the messages Claire sent him just before she disappeared. One of them read: “I’m sorry for making my life miserable. I’m fixing it.” She added: “Because of you, Claire missed out on so much.” Because of you, we walk the streets with fear in our hearts. “You made the world unsafe for the woman in our family. You destroyed our family. We have so many questions, what were her last words, did she see this coming?” “We want to give him some rest.” Claire’s mother, Jacqueline Vaughan, said in a statement that it was “so lovely to see her so happy” in the last few months of her life. “The future looked good,” she added. Claire’s daughter Rosie Hall told Osment: “You will never understand the pain you have caused me. It was heartbreaking to hear what happened during the hearing. Your attitude showed no remorse or respect for my family. I will never forgive you for what you did and the harm you caused me.” During the trial, the jury heard Osment “admit” to “lightening his burden” many times over the years as he fought for his life. In a confession to police call handlers, he said he strangled her, saying “no c**t, no stupid bitch is going to keep me away from my son.” Osment was released under investigation. but the police later launched an undercover operation for an officer named “Paddy O’Hara” to befriend him and establish trust. This operation lasted 20 months and 1200 hours of recording were recorded. On one occasion, the jury heard Osment. He admitted to ‘Paddy’ that he ‘did some terrible shit’ and that he couldn’t turn back the clock, saying ‘it’s done’. He also mentioned that Claire had a ‘nice swimming lesson’ while spitting. He stated that he lay on the ground towards the sea and then tried not to vomit, stating that his body was ‘halfway to Spain’. Videos of the encounters while driving and sitting at home were released by the police after being shown to the jury. In one clip, he mimics a ‘cut’ on his body while making a swishing sound and describes the ‘knife skill’ he’s learned as a trained chef. And when answering questions about whether his body will float, he replies: “Everything is too heavy, it’s all downward, it’s not going to float back.” After declaring his confidence in ‘Paddy’, Osment responds: “I don’t get my mind back to what I’m supposed to be doing, you know what I mean? It’s not nice, bro. It was just awful. On another occasion he described it as “all done and dusted.” , the clothes are burned outside, everything’s fucking gone, everything’s gone,” he added. “As far as I know, the pieces are scattered.” She later told him: “This makes me sick. But I did it for (my child). Because he’s my motherfucking son.” hurt my child. And how they were raised is completely wrong. “Don’t make fun of my family. If you hurt (my child) or (my other child’s) spouse, you will get it.” In an early 999 call to police in July 2019, Osment also told officers he wanted to “turn himself in” for murder at Exeter Police Station. He told them: “I’m fed up with the whole thing. I just want the monkey off my back.” He then tells the handler: “I took the law into my own hands and you know she took my son from me and I took him from her.” When asked what he took from her, Osment added: “Basically his fucking life… From this I’m not proud, my kid still asks about Mother’s Days and stuff like that. Ben, like when I was little. “I was young and angry.” When he was arrested, he was seen in footage worn by police on his body as he volunteered to be handcuffed and told officers: “It was enough for my eyes. I bent over and dived enough, looked over my shoulder and things like that. “I’ve had enough. I just want to take it, whatever happened, happened. I can’t turn back time. I want to get this done. I killed him. I hired it… I gave someone some money and they had it done.” He later claimed in police interview that he did not remember phoning them or speaking to them on arrival because he was “too drunk”. Bristol Crown Court heard the victim was referring to the defendant when they were work colleagues in the same cafe in 2008 The court heard the woman eventually became pregnant with her third and first child, but the relationship became “bad” and “abusive” due to her heavy drinking. Their relationship was described as “drinking” but Osment blamed Claire when their baby was taken into foster care The hearing heard Claire was a “troubled” individual, but her family said she had just gotten her life together, was looking forward to a fresh start and was “excited” for a brighter future when she disappeared. Staff at the bar where Claire was last seen and regulars said Claire left to buy ‘bra inserts’ from Primark when she was due to meet Osment sometime that evening and wanted to ‘dress to impress’ him. In his statement to the police, the defendant said that any confession was “completely unfounded” because he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. At the end of his remarks, the judge paid tribute to the police operation carried out to bring Osment to justice and the dignity shown by Claire’s family throughout the trial. He added: “We send our condolences from this court and hope that in time they can find a way to move on with their lives together.”