A brave schoolgirl tried to defend herself with martial arts moves before she was killed and dismembered by a convicted sex offender, an inquest has heard.
Leah Croucher’s body was found dismembered in a loft in Buzzacott Lane, Furzton, Milton Keynes, nearly four years after she first went missing on February 15, 2019.
The 19-year-old vanished while walking to work on Buzzacott Lane, Furzton, Milton Keynes and was discovered only years later just 10 minutes away on October 10 2022, after a maintenance worker came to investigate the cause of a bad smell, MailOnline reports.
A police superintendent revealed that it was believed that Leah, a renowned martial arts expert, had tried to defend herself after being sexually attacked by Neil Maxwell, 49, according to the outlet.
Police had carried out an ‘unprecedented’ investigation in the Thames Valley area following Leah’s disappearance, Milton Keynes coroner’s court heard.
Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown said the probe included searches of 3,500 houses, carrying out 1,500 lines of inquiry, the examination of 1,200 documents, 1,600 messages, with 500 statements taken.
Maxwell’s name came up in May 2019 after a member of the public came forward to provide information, but at the time, police concluded there was no link between him and the victim, DSI Brown said.
Investigators finally found Leah on Monday October 10 2022, after receiving a call from a man carrying out maintenance work.
“He was trying to eradicate a smell from the property, which took him into the loft area where he discovered what he thought were human remains”, the senior officer told the court.
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