Man Who Killed Girlfriend in 'Shocking and Barbaric' Gasoline Attack Sentenced to Life

Leigh Pateman was sentenced for the killing of Ellen Marshall, who suffered 80 percent burns in the "horrific assault," police said Monday, Dec. 2

• Leigh Pateman, 45, has been sentenced to life after his partner, Ellen Marshall, died in March 2023, almost two years after he set her on fire in a gasoline attack in April 2021

• The victim suffered 80 percent burns in the "horrific assault," police said in a release on Monday, Dec. 2

• "This was a truly shocking and barbaric attack," Detective Inspector, Andy McWatt, said in the release

A man in England has been sentenced to life over a fatal gasoline attack on his girlfriend.

On Monday, Dec. 2 at Lincoln Crown Court, Leigh Pateman, 45, was sentenced to a minimum term of 27 years for the murder of Ellen Marshall, who suffered 80 percent burns after he poured gasoline onto her lap during an argument before lighting it on fire on April 22, 2021, per releases shared by the Lincolnshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

While Marshall survived the initial attack, she died nearly two years later, the authorities added in their statements.

On the day of the attack, Pateman, formerly from the seaside town of Skegness in England's East Midlands, "picked up a jerry can of [gasoline] during an argument and poured it into Ellen's lap as she sat in an armchair. He then ignited it with his lighter," Lincolnshire Police said in the release, calling it a "horrific assault."

"Ellen was rushed to hospital with between 80 percent and 90 percent burns to the top half of her body. She spent the rest of her life in hospitals and care homes," the release added, confirming that the victim had "tragically died of her injuries" on March 11, 2023.

According to the CPS, which handles all public prosecutions in England and Wales, Pateman had "repeatedly threatened to kill her during arguments" before.

Police confirmed Pateman had already been serving a 17-year and 10-month sentence after he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Following Marshall's death, he pleaded guilty to murder on Nov. 8 of this year, before being "handed the minimum term sentence which allowing for time already served, means it will be 23 years and 145 days before he can be considered for parole," the release stated.

In court on Monday, Judge Simon Hirst told Pateman, "The cause of Ms. Marshall's death was pneumonia as a result of the injuries inflicted upon her by you," the BBC reported.

"Ms. Marshall endured the most excruciating pain and suffering from the injuries you inflicted upon her," the judge added to Pateman, according to the outlet.

Marshall's daughter, Paige Clarke, said in a victim impact statement read in court, "The physical, mental and emotional pain that my mother had to go through is almost impossible to put into words," adding that her mom would never get to hold her first grandchild, per the BBC.

“This was a truly shocking and barbaric attack. I cannot begin to imagine how much fear she must have felt, and how painful the rest of Ellen's life was," Detective Inspector, Andy McWatt, said, per the police release.

"Her family had to watch someone they love suffer from terrible injuries for almost two years. I hope that they can feel some measure of closure that her killer has been sentenced for that crime," McWatt added.

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Paul Wright, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Leigh Pateman’s attack on Ellen Marshall and her death two years later can only be described as harrowing, distressing and tragic," per the CPS release.

"Leigh Pateman had already admitted that he alone was responsible for the attack and that he intended to cause really serious harm when he did it. Ms. Marshall may have survived the attack, but she spent the two years until her death in severe pain," Wright continued.

"The task for us as prosecutors was to show that Ms. Marshall’s death was directly connected with the injuries she suffered at Pateman’s hands. This evidence, from medical experts, was clear. Without this horrific attack and the terrible injuries she suffered, Ms. Marshall would never have suffered the condition that caused her death. Pateman has now faced the full consequences of his criminal actions on that evening in 2021," he said.

"My heartfelt sympathies are with Ellen Marshall’s family who have had to endure not just losing a loved one in this way, but the unimaginable mental, physical and emotional pain Ms. Marshall suffered,” Wright shared.