Cocaine-addled postman, 43, heard beating mum-of-three to death, 50, with taxi firm’s barbell as she called for a taxi to take her away before hiding her body in his house for 11 days, is sentenced to prison.

An ‘evil’ postman who was heard by a taxi company bludgeoned a mum-of-three to death with a dumbbell while high on cocaine, before trying to hide her body in his home to 11 days, he was imprisoned.

Mark Nicholls, 43, stabbed Emily Sanderson, 50, at least 13 times with the gun as she called a taxi to pick him up from his home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on May 19.

The killer’s voice was heard on the phone accusing her of being a ‘robbing b****’ before Emily’s muffled screams could be heard, followed by four ‘loud’ thuds in the background. Emily was last seen by her family at her father’s funeral the same day and was reported missing a few days later.

Prosecutor Mr Sam Green KC said the bangs on the phone were the sounds of Emily being beaten to death with a dumbbell. He said Emily worked as an escort and the defendant was one of her clients.

Nicholls was today jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years at Sheffield Crown Court after he admitted the manslaughter at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how he left his three-bedroom home before returning days later, where he was seen digging a hole in his garden and buying packing material.

Nicholls finally handed himself in to police on May 30 when he spoke to his parents, acting distressed and angry, telling them he was ‘f***** up’.

And officers later went to the house, where they forced their way in and found her body.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Emily was wrapped in layers of material, while her hands and feet were bound with packing tape.

A post-mortem examination later determined that Emily was hit at least 13 times in the head when she was killed.

Emily and Nicholls’ phones were then switched off and officers later found her phone in a field in June with blood stains on it, the court heard.

CCTV showed how within half an hour of Emily’s murder, Nicholls had left the house to make good his escape.

He was later seen at a Shell garage with a female companion with a suitcase. The pair then headed to Sheffield railway station, caught a train to Moulton and had a pint in a pub.

On May 23, Nicholls returned to Sheffield and was seen by neighbors digging a hole in his garden.

Witnesses said he appeared ‘calm and chatty’ and said he was digging a hole to fill a pond.

On May 25, he was also seen on CCTV buying duct tape in a supermarket. But on May 30, Nicholls suddenly spoke to his parents, appearing distressed and in trouble, where he said he had ‘turned on’.

Mr Green said: “He told his parents he had been drugged and threatened with a knife by a girl, forcing him to knock her down with a dumbbell.

“Your honor, you may consider the phone call you heard earlier when thinking about this.”

Nicholls told a mental health professional at a police station on June 5 how he had ‘killed a lady by hitting her over the head with a dumbbell’.

In this regard, the police forcefully entered the house and found her body.

Nicholls pleaded guilty to her murder on September 8.

His defense lawyer said today that he now accepted that Emily did not threaten him with a knife and that he was drunk and high on cocaine at the time of the murder.

More than a dozen family members wearing ‘Emily £1 in a Million’ t-shirts watched Nicholls’ send-off.

In a statement read to the court, Emily’s mother Christine Shann said: ‘Emily was an extraordinary person.

“She was deeply and deeply loved by me, her three children, her siblings, her family and her many, many friends.

“It is impossible to overestimate the emotional damage caused by her murder. Her son and two daughters have lost their mother.

“Emily and her children adored and cared for each other, they needed her in their lives and she was stolen.

“The daughter I love was taken from me, I had to experience the nightmare of every parent and live the death of my child.

Emily had close, cherished relationships with all her siblings and was a huge and irreplaceable part of their lives.

Christine added: “What we have experienced after this tragedy has done irreparable damage to all of our lives, it was the heart of our family and our heart has been torn apart.

We miss her so much; her absence is felt so strongly. We will never party with her again, she will never hold us, we will never get her help and support, hear her jokes or spend time with her. She will never meet her children’s children.

“We will never see him realize her incredible potential and share with her the life she deserved, without violence. We feel this every day and we will continue to feel it as long as we are alive.’

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Nicholls he had committed a ‘wicked offence’ with no explanation.

The judge said: “You committed a brutal murder of a young woman. You hit him again and again with determined ferocity. You intend to kill him.

“I have no doubt that it was your plan—an irrational plan—to bury Emily Sanderson’s body in your garden.

There is no legitimate excuse or explanation for what you did.

“This was a sustained, extremely violent attack on a vulnerable woman. This was an unceasing avalanche of violence that you visited upon him. It was truly an evil act.’

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell said: “Nicholls took the life of a daughter, a sister and a mother in a fit of rage.

Since then he has made considerable efforts to blame her death on Emily herself.

“Within minutes of his horrific crime, he began a deliberate, deliberate and protracted plan to hide her remains and escape prosecution.

“He has shown no real remorse for his truly horrific actions and the subsequent torture he inflicted on her family.”