10:28
Bennett brought into the dock
Bennett has been brought into the dock - he is dressed in a blue suit with no tie.
He appears calm. Family members of Madison Wright along with Essex Police officers and staff are also in the courtroom.
The judge has just entered the courtroom.
10:39
KEY EVENT
Madison's mum 'never got to say goodbye' to her daughter
Tracy Ayling KC, prosecuting, has read out a victim impact statement on behalf of Madison Wright’s family written by her mother, Louise Bailey. Ms Bailey shared how initial interactions with the police and family were “frustrating” for her, but she now “understands they had a process to go through”.
Ms Bailey said due to the level of decomposition on her body, they “never got to say goodbye” to their daughter. She said: “Her body had deteriorated so much for us to see her. We just had to accept that it was her. I wonder if she had been found sooner [whether] this would have been different. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”
10:48
'There’s always that feeling that something is missing'
Ms Bailey says her daughter was “really excited” by the prospect of moving into a new flat as it was “meant to be a new start for her”. She said: “We had to clear out the flat which was supposed to be her new home. I couldn’t just get rid of it [the possessions], she had bought it, it was hers.
“It was a very unhappy, very sad year for the whole family. We had Halloween, Christmas, Mother’s Day and birthday which we would have rather ignored as it was a reminder that something was missing. Whenever we are together there’s always that feeling that something is missing.
“We have this irrational thought in the back of our minds that she might just walk in.” Ms Bailey said Madison’s siblings are “absolutely devastated” that they “couldn’t protect her”.
10:49
'What he has done is a life sentence for us'
Ms Bailey continued: “It’s difficult to understand why someone would take the life of her. Madison should have lived to an old age. Madison could easily have lived until she was 100-years-old.
“We have so many questions about where, why and how. Did she know what was happening, was she scared, did she fight back - these are questions that we will never know the answer to.”
She added: “That one moment of pure evil has resulted in a lifetime of loss for us. No matter how many years the defendant receives in prison, what he has done is a life sentence for us. Her life has been stolen from not just her, but us.”
10:52
Defendant shakes his head in the dock
Bennett can be seen shaking his head in the dock when the judge summed up her opinion on how Madison was killed.
As the prosecution summed up her sentencing guidelines, Judge Samantha Leigh said she believed there was “an intention to kill”. She said: “The plan was if she wasn’t going to stay with him he was going to kill her”.
Bennett shook his head slightly following this comment.
10:54
Bennett 'immediately regretted' angry outburst
Mitigating, Christine Agnew KC has apologised on behalf of Bennett for his angry outburst in court yesterday. Ms Agnew said he “immediately regretted” the outburst. She said: “He asks to apologise to the judge and the members of the jury. He acted in an outrageous way and it was completely inappropriate.”
Ms Agnew said that Bennett “loved” Madison, saying: “That relationship had tragic consequences for her. It was toxic, controlling and unpleasant for her, but there is not any incident where he wished her any harm.”
Ms Agnew said there was “no evidence” of physical harm on Madison before her death. The judge is now sentencing Bennett.
Madison Wright's body was tragically recovered in a park after she disappeared last summer
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