Sarah Ashwell killer's sentence 'not unduly lenient'

A man who murdered a mother-of-two will not have his sentence reviewed.

Antanas Jankauskas, 39, from Wookey, was jailed for 14 years and 10 months after he admitted killing Sarah Ashwell, from Wells in Somerset.

A request for his jail term to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme has been refused.

"The threshold is a high one, and the test was not made in this case," a spokesperson for the Attorney General's office said.

They added that a referral to the Court of Appeal could only be made "if a sentence is not just lenient, but unduly so".

The spokesperson said the sentencing judge would need to have "made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances".

They added: "The Solicitor General was shocked by this case, and wishes to express his sympathies to Sarah Ashwell's family."

Ms Ashwell's body was found in her home on 7 November. She had been strangled and then suffered knife wounds to her neck.

Jankauskas pleaded guilty to her murder at Bristol Crown Court on 10 March.

The victim's mother told the court: "Sarah was loved by so many people and she could communicate with anyone.

"Justice has been done for her but we will never forget, nor ever forgive, the man who did this terrible thing.

"No punishment could ever be enough for what he has done."

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