Killer Neil Crampton: cannabis-using loner
Nov 25 2008 By Matt McKenzie
DETECTIVE HAUNTED BY SCENE OF SLAUGHTER
The detective who led the inquiry into the Sobo family slaughter said he was left haunted by the ``horrific" scenes in 26 Hawthorn Gardens.
Detective Superintendent Steve Wade's abiding memory was of the many ``beautiful" family photographs hung on the walls surrounding the bodies of Liz, Yemi, Steven and Abigail, and of the dead silence of the family home.
He said Crampton had shown ``no remorse" since his arrest in Gateshead on November 14 2006.
The detective said: ``It was an awful scene.
``Ive dealt with quite a lot of murders in my service and to find one body is unpleasant; but to find four bodies, two of them children, is quite horrific, particularly considering the number of injuries they had suffered.
``It was an awful, awful scene. My abiding memory is of walking into that address and it was complete silence, with blood and mayhem everywhere.
``But around the walls were beautiful photographs and pictures of Liz, Steven and Abigail. There was a piano in the corner. It was clearly a very happy house.
``It was just awful."
The childrens grandmother, Tunde Sobo, arrived home from holiday in Nigeria as detectives sealed off the house.
He said: ``She came back to find the house full of officers.
``It is just the worst nightmare you could have, to return home to your family - a very lovely, deeply religious family - and find that must be horrific.
He offered his sympathy to the killers parents, Bill and Ann, in whose house Crampton was living.
``We must not lose sight of the fact that Mr and Mrs Crampton are victims as well," he said.
``They have lost their only son and their two grandchildren.
``They have driven back to where they lived having been shopping for Christmas presents for Steven and Abigail, who they loved deeply, to find armed officers in the street.
``They saw Neil Crampton being arrested and were taken to one side.
``They initially thought Neil had been in a road traffic accident or something relatively inconsequential, only to be told they had lost their grandchildren and that their son was under arrest at the police station for killing them.
``Both families have shown a lot of dignity. I watched Mrs Crampton giving evidence under extremely difficult circumstances with her son standing in the dock knowing fine well that he had killed their two grandchildren.
``I cannot think how she stood up to that.
``I was at the family funerals and the grief was immense. How they have coped with the emotions of the last two years is incredible."
Crampton had shown no remorse since the killings two years ago.
``He has certainly not shown any remorse during the course of his police interviews or during any of the subsequent dealings we have had with him," said Mr Wade.
``It will be on his conscience for the rest of his life."
