COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A 30-year-old woman who died in a shooting incident in Leicestershire was the mother of two young children, police have confirmed.



Hayley Pointon, from Coventry, was pronounced dead at an address in Hinckley on Sunday. She died from a single gunshot wound.

Two men, aged 29 and 36, arrested in connection with the shooting have been bailed pending further inquiries.

A 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was released without charge.

Police are continuing to look for two men wearing hoods who left the scene in a dark car.

Det Supt Tom Davies, from the East Midlands Major Crime Unit, said: "Hayley's death has left two young children without a mother and it is vital that those involved are dealt with.

"We are still keen to speak to anyone who saw two men in the area at the time of the incident.

"The men, who both had their hoods up, are said to have left the scene in a dark car that was parked in the street."

Hinckley shooting: Police stop drivers in witness bid

Police in Leicestershire have been stopping drivers in a bid to find witnesses who may have information about the murder of a mother-of-two.

Hayley Pointon, 30, from Coventry, died in a shooting incident on 3 February at an address in Hinckley.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died from a single gunshot wound.

Leicestershire Police are trying to trace two men seen leaving the scene, with their hoods up, in a dark car that was parked in the street.

Det Supt Tom Davies, from the East Midlands Major Crime Unit, said: "This is very much an ongoing active investigation with a number of detectives and resources committed to solving this crime.

"There is a strong possibility that there is someone who has information about this crime and not yet contacted us. If you have any information about the incident or the events leading up to it please come forward."

Two men, aged 29 and 36, who were arrested in connection with the incident have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

A 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder has been released without charge.

Police search Hinckley canal

Police are searching in a canal close to where a mum-of-two was murdered in Leicestershire.

Hayley Pointon, from Coventry, died in a shooting at a house in Hinckley on 3 February.

A post mortem examination showed the 30-year-old died from a single bullet wound.

On Tuesday specialist officers from Leicestershire Police began searching a part of the Ashby Canal in Nutts Lane, Hinckley, as part of their inquiry.

Det Ch Insp Tony Yarwood, who is leading the investigation said: "We are doing all we can to bring those responsible for Hayley's murder to justice and this most recent search is just one of many lines of enquiry.

"At the heart of this investigation is a young mother who should still be here with her two children and we cannot forget that.

"Someone knows what happened to Hayley, someone knows why it happened and someone knows who took her life and any information will still be extremely important to this investigation."

Mr Yarwood said officers are keen to speak to anyone who saw two men in the area shortly after the shooting.

The men had their hoods up and left the scene in a dark coloured hatchback car that was parked nearby. It was also seen in Northfield Avenue and Coventry Road.

Two men, aged 29 and 36, who were arrested in connection with the incident have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Arrests over Hayley Pointon death

Four men, aged 24, 25, 29 and 30, were arrested in the West Midlands area on Monday, and remain in police custody.

Two men, aged 29 and 34, previously arrested in connection with the shooting have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Det Ch Insp Tony Yarwood said: "Despite the arrests we have made today, and previously, our enquiries in to the incident are very much ongoing.

"Two young children have lost their mother and Hayley's family are desperate for anyone with information to come forward and they, like us, believe someone out there can help."

Nine arrests over Hinckley shooting

Nine men have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a mother of two.

Hayley Pointon, 30, from Coventry, died from a single gunshot wound at an address in Hinckley, Leicestershire, on 3 February.

The nine men, aged between 21 and 38, were arrested in the past two days and remain in police custody.

Three further men previously arrested in connection with the murder investigation remain on bail.

Ms Pointon's mother appealed for information last week, more than three months after her daughter's death.

"This crime cannot go unpunished as we are all suffering each day it continues while we wait for justice to be done," she said.

"We will not rest until those responsible are caught and punished. Please come forward, this won't end until justice is done."

She added the people or person responsible for the murder "took Hayley away from her two young children, family and friends".

Det Ch Insp Tony Yarwood, who is leading the investigation, said: "Two young children have lost their mother and Hayley's family are desperate for anyone with information to come forward."

Another arrest made by police investigating Coventry mum death



A 22-year-old woman has been arrested by Leicestershire police in connection with the investigation into the murder of Coventry woman Hayley Pointon.

The woman was arrested by officers yesterday and is currently in police custody.

Two men, aged 26 and 28, who were arrested earlier in the week have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Seven other men aged 21, two aged 23, two aged 24, 28 and 38 remain in police custody.

Meanwhile, police have cordoned off an area of marshland in Coventry.

Officers arrived at Claybrookes Marsh, off Grange Avenue in Binley, yesterday.

They told people living in the area that the land could be cordoned off until at least Saturday.

It’s part of the investigation into the murder of Exhall mum Pointon, 30, who was shot and killed at a home in Sunnydale Road, Hinckley in February.

Officers have previously told the Telegraph that people in Coventry could hold the key to finding out what happened to Hayley – even though she was killed in Hinckley.

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police confirmed that the area had been cordoned off as part of the investigation.

They were unable to say why they were searching the land. The search appeared to be focused on a small piece of land in the centre of the nature reserve.

Claybrookes Marsh is a small patch of land surrounding by the A46 and a nearby industrial estate.

Det Chief Insp Tony Yarwood, who is investigating, said: “Hayley’s family are desperate for anyone with information to come forward and they, like us, believe someone out there can help.

“I cannot stress enough how important witness and community information is to an investigation like this and I hope that members of the public will read this appeal and get in touch.

"We understand that it isn’t always easy coming to police, maybe some people feel that there will be repercussions if they do.”

* Anyone with information should call Leicestershire Police on 101.

Hayley Pointon murder: Three further arrests made

Three more men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman in Leicestershire.

Hayley Pointon, 30, from Coventry, died after being shot at a house in Sunnydale Road, Hinckley, on 3 February.

A post-mortem examination confirmed the mother-of-two died from a single gun wound.

The men aged 46, 47 and 61, were arrested in the Coventry area and are being questioned by detectives.

To date, a total of 13 people have been arrested and bailed in connection with Ms Pointon's death.

Leicestershire Police said officers would also be carrying out further land and water searches in the Sunnydale Road area on Tuesday as part of their investigation.

Six charged in connection with death of Coventry beautician Hayley Pointon

Six men have been charged in connection with the death of a Coventry woman who was shot and killed in 2013.

Police have confirmed that two men from Coventry, both aged 24, have been charged with the murder of Hayley Pointon and four others have been charged with assisting an offender.

Three of those men are from Coventry and one is from Rugby.

Miss Pointon, aged 30, died at a house in Sunnydale Road, Hinckley, in February last year.

The beautician, who lived in Willenhall and Wyken, had two young children.

All six men charged in connection with the killing will appear at Leicester Magistrates Court this morning (Wednesday).

Hayley Pointon shooting: Two guilty of murder



Two men who shot dead a mother-of-two by mistake have been found guilty of her murder.

Hayley Pointon was shot at a house in Hinckley, Leicestershire, as she visited her on-off boyfriend Nigel Barwell, in February 2013.

Leicester Crown Court had heard that the 30-year-old Coventry woman was shot by two masked gunmen.

Aaron Power and Aaron Newman, both of Coventry, are due to be sentenced on Monday.

The eight-week trial heard evidence from both men who blamed each other for her death.

The court also heard that Mr Barwell was the intended target for the shooting.

Ms Pointon had been leaving the property when shots were fired, and died from a single gunshot wound.

Power had claimed he thought the intention was to steal cash and drugs from Mr Barwell's house and that his co-accused, Newman, and another man were the gunmen, while he waited with a getaway car nearby.

Prosecuting barrister James House QC suggested Power was lying and blaming his friends after being paid to target Nigel Barwell. Power denied being a "hitman".

Newman, 24, told the jury that although he joined Power on reconnaissance of the house a day earlier, he was at home on the night of the shooting.

He said Power had come back without anything and said something went wrong.

A third man, Dylan Whitty, 30, from Coventry, was found guilty of assisting an offender. He is due to be sentenced on 8 September.

Three other men were cleared of the same charge.

Det Insp Tony Yarwood, of Leicestershire Police, described it as "a horrific crime which has left two young children without a mother, and family without their loving daughter and sister".

Speaking after the case, Hayley's mother, Kerry Pointon, said: "This verdict, although the one we needed, and one which Hayley deserves, is now only the start to us rebuilding our shattered lives without her there.

"She can never be replaced in our lives and therefore we feel that there can never be any true justice for Hayley and her children."

Life sentences for hit men who shot Coventry mum by mistake

Two men who murdered Coventry mum Hayley Pointon have been jailed for a minimum of 31 years each.

Aaron Power and Aaron Newman were unanimously found guilty at Leicester Crown Court of killing the mum-of-two outside a house in Hinckley in February 2013.

The pair were were sentenced today at the same court. The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.

Serving prisoner Power, aged 25, and Newman, 24, of Vincent Wyles House, Attoxhall Road, Wyken, had driven to the house, in Sunnydale Road, as part of a plot to kill Hayley’s on-off boyfriend Nigel Barwell.

But when they arrived they shot Hayley by mistake and she was dead before paramedics arrived.

Hayley Pointon was not the intended target of a "hit" when she was shot dead.

Today the judge Mr Justice King sentenced the pair to life imprisonment.

He said: "The scars you have inflicted on each family member will be long lasting."

The pair showed no emotion as they were sent down.

Mr Justice King added: “This was in truth a calculated, cold-blooded murder. This was a planned killing and each of you were part of that plan.

“It may never be known who fired the shot but what is sure is each of you were involved in the killing and each had an intention to kill.

“No words of mine can express the depth of the relatives’ grief for the loss you have caused at taking her life away at such a young age.”

He added that neither had shown any remorse.

Leicester Crown Court heard Ms Pointon leaves two young children, Lacey and Reeghan, who were seven and three at the time of the shooting.

Reading from a victim impact statement, James House QC said: “The moment the gun was fired, their lives changed forever.”

He added the investigation has taken a “huge toll” on the family.

Mitigating, Joel Bennathan QC asked the judge to take in to account Power’s age when sentencing, while Philip Bown said Newman had shown a “degree of naivety”.