Man admits murdering dog walker Claire Knights

A man has admitted murdering a woman in a random ambush while she was walking her dog on a Kent beach.

Claire Knights, 54, from Upstreet, near Canterbury, was found dead between St Nicholas-At-Wade and Minnis Bay on 25 August 2023 following a two-day search.

Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, from Margate, pleaded guilty to her murder and a separate voyeurism charge at Canterbury Crown Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Supt Kathleen Way said: "No-one could have foreseen this coming - a hideous, horrendous crime."

At an inquest in September, a coroner said Ms Knights was believed to have died from a blunt force injury and drowning, and that the death was "violent or unnatural".

Following the attack, Van-Pooss had concealed her body, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

After he murdered Ms Knights, he took her spaniel Zebulon to a nearby shop to buy treats for it.

The dog was with still him when he was arrested by police.

Members of Ms Knights' family wept in court at the guilty plea.

Det Supt Kathleen Way told BBC South East: "This was an awful crime and one that was very, very difficult to investigate and one that was very difficult for the family to truly understand why Claire was the victim of this crime.

"Whether or not he would have attacked someone else, I really can't say but sadly Claire was the victim of his hideous crime on this occasion."

Natalie Smith, from the CPS, said: "We hope that today's guilty plea brings some small comfort to Claire's family and friends, knowing that the man who murdered her has finally acknowledged and taken responsibility for his horrendous actions on that fateful day.

"Now that the defence team have had the opportunity to fully consider whether Harrison Lawrence-Van Pooss had any mental health defence to the charge of murder, they have agreed with the prosecution expert witness that he does not have any defence available to him.

"This has finally, after all these months of uncertainty, led to today's guilty plea to the murder of Claire Knights."

After Ms Knights' death, her family described her as "a loving mum, partner, daughter and sister - an amazing contemporary artist, a trailblazer in life".

An art school, The Margate School, paid tribute to Ms Knights on its website.

A statement said the former student "was a frequent visitor to exhibitions and events at TMS with her partner".

It added: "She formed strong bonds with her fellow students and friends at the school."

The sentencing for Van-Pooss may take up to two days on dates to be set in the new year.

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