Man convicted of murder and controlling behaviour

A man has been convicted of murdering his partner in Croydon after a Met Police investigation.

Earlston Bennett, 58 (17.03.68) of Towpath Way, Croydon, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, 6 October of the murder of 58-year-old Sarah Reynolds in April 2025. He was also convicted of using controlling and coercive behaviour towards her.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Friday, 4 December.

In a tribute, Sarah’s family said:

“Although this is a good result and justice has been served, we have lost a sister, mum and grandmother. We won't ever come to terms with her loss.

“ Sarah was a loving mum and sister, what happened to Sarah should never of happened.

“We feel sad that she felt she could not open up to us, even though we reached out to her.

“We had no idea what was going on behind closed doors and that makes us extremely sad. We will miss and always remember her.”

Detective Inspector Carly Shaw, who led the investigation, said:

“This is an awful case whereby Sarah was subjected to years of degrading abuse by the man closest to her. He chose to use Sarah’s affection for him as a vehicle to repeatedly demean and assault her, eroding her sense of self-worth. He then took her life.

“At no juncture has Bennett taken accountability for his actions. To the contrary, the complexity of this investigation derives from Bennett’s lies and efforts to conceal and diminish his role in Sarah’s death. Resolving this required input from multiple forensic, medical and pathology experts.

“My thoughts remain with Sarah’s grown-up children, her wider family and friends. I commend them for their dignity and composure throughout and I sincerely hope that today they feel some sense of justice.

“I would urge anyone who is reading this who is in an abusive relationship to reach out for support, whether that is by contacting the police, another support service or a friend. You will be listened to and supported.”

At 04:36hrs on 12 April 2025, Bennett called 999 and reported that Sarah had taken an overdose of prescription medication and was unresponsive.

The London Ambulance Service arrived within minutes and began resuscitation attempts. Sarah was taken to hospital where, despite the efforts of paramedics and clinicians, she was pronounced dead shortly before 06:00hrs.

A paramedic who was first on the scene had noticed injuries to the victim’s body and questioned Bennett about them. He admitted they had argued earlier in the evening, but maintained that his partner had suffered an overdose.

A post-mortem examination subsequently found she had suffered significant injuries and had died as a result of blunt force trauma to her torso and head.

Bennett was arrested for causing grievous bodily harm at 05:05hrs, while paramedics were still attempting to save his partner’s life. As he was taken to the police station, he was overheard complaining about Sarah, asking: “How could you do this to me.”

He was re-arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after 06:00hrs. In interview, he admitted physically assaulting his partner earlier that evening but denied killing her. He subsequently sought to suggest that her injuries and death were a result of drugs overdose, falls and CPR administered by medics.

Detectives worked with forensic and medical experts to establish that Bennett’s assault on Sarah was a direct cause of her death .

They also trawled phone data and spoke to Sarah friends, family and work colleagues, piecing together how she had suffered years of controlling behaviour and domestic abuse at her partner’s hands.

He threatened her with violence, demanded money, controlled the food they ate and subjected her to repeated jealous phone messages and calls while she was at work or with her family. Police were unaware of the abuse until they began investigating Sarah’s tragic death.

Bennett was charged on 14 April 2025 with murder and controlling and coercive behaviour. He appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court the following day.