Essex killer, 37, is found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, 30, and dumping her body in a country park after hearing she was planning to leave him
- Madison Wright was killed and hidden in an Essex country park by her partner
- Gary Bennett, 37, found guilty of murdering her after fearing she was leaving him
- Put Ms Wright’s body into her car and dumped body at Wat Tyler Country Park
A man who killed his partner and savagely dumped her body in a country park after hearing she was planning to leave him has been convicted of murder.
Killer Gary Bennett, 37, screamed ‘how f***ing dare you’ at Basildon Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of murdering his 30-year-old girlfriend Madison Wright.
Bennett, from the small town of Pitsea in Basildon, Essex, is due to be sentenced at the same court tomorrow.
The trial heard that Bennett had killed his girlfriend – a ‘happy, gentle, thoughtful’ mother – between July 22-30 last year when he realised she was planning to leave him.
Ms Wright was last seen alive at 8.30am on July 22 and her body was recovered in Wat Tyler Country Park in Pitsea, Basildon, eight days later under a pile of shrubbery, branches and a fence panel which had Bennett’s DNA on it.
Killer Gary Bennett (left), 37, screamed ‘how f***ing dare you’ at Basildon Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of murdering his 30-year-old partner Madison Wright (right)
Bennett drove Ms Wright out to Wat Tyler Country Park (pictured) and dumped her body after hearing she was planning to leave him
Across the two-week trial, the jury heard how Bennett had put Ms Wright’s body into her own car and driven her to the park where he hid her body before police discovered it while patrolling the area.
In December, Essex Police revealed that the mother’s phone had been switched on two months after her body was found in the local beauty spot.
Judge Samantha Leigh, who oversaw the trial, described the killing as ‘one of the most overwhelming’ cases of murder she had seen, ‘even for someone who has been involved in the criminal justice system for as long as I have’.
Prosecuting barrister Tracy Ayling KC said in her closing speech that there was ‘no other candidate’ for the killing of Ms Wright and that the evidence from the scene of her discovery suggests Bennett dragged her body from the car to where her body was found.
She said: ‘To quote Casablanca, it seems of all the fence panels in all of Wat Tyler Country Park, Mr Bennett’s DNA had to be on this one. There is no other candidate for the killing of Madison Wright.’
In a tribute previously shared by her family, Ms Wright was described as the ‘most loving’ daughter, sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend and soon-to-be aunt.
The jury heard how Bennett had put Ms Wright’s body into her own car before taking her to the country park. Pictured: A photo of her Vauxhall Astra released by police after she went missing in July
Bennett (left) will be sentenced for the murder of Madison Wright tomorrow(right). Pictured: The pair smiling together in March 2022
They said: ‘Throughout her life Madison was a happy, gentle, thoughtful and kind person. She was never a fan of being the centre of attention and definitely would not have liked this.
‘Our family has suffered a loss that is unimaginable and irreparable, and the void Madison leaves will never be filled.
‘Her life has been stolen from not just her but from all of us. Her memory however will live on through her son whom we cherish dearly. We will remember every smile, laugh and every moment we had the honour to share.
‘We will miss you for the rest of our lives Mad. The love we have for you is beyond words and you will forever be in our hearts. Rest in peace Mad, until we meet again.’
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