Man admits murder of Cambridgeshire villager whose body has not been found

Karl Hutchings, 48, has pleaded guilty to the murder of his neighbour, 55-year-old Julie Buckley, at a hearing in Cambridge Crown Court, despite the woman's body not having been recovered.

Police launched an investigation in February after officers found blood splattered around Buckley’s bungalow in Christchurch, near Wisbech, which was later forensically linked to her. Buckley was last captured on CCTV on Jan. 28 buying groceries at a Budgens store, and detectives have said her communications stopped abruptly after that date.

Detectives arrested Hutchings at Buckley’s home on Feb. 13 and treated her disappearance as a murder inquiry. He was charged on Feb. 16 with murdering Buckley between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31. Police believe the killing occurred on Jan. 30 and that Hutchings subsequently used Buckley’s bank cards and sold some of her possessions.

Hutchings initially pleaded not guilty when he appeared by video link at Cambridge Crown Court on March 19, but changed his plea to guilty on Sept. 15. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24. Two other people — a 49-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman from Christchurch who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender — remain under investigation, police said.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Stott said officers were alarmed by the abrupt halt in Buckley’s communications from Jan. 28 and welcomed the guilty plea while urging Hutchings to disclose the location of the body so the family can lay her to rest. "I am pleased Hutchings has finally decided to take responsibility for what he has done and, while it won’t help the pain Julie’s family are feeling, it will make the process easier for them," Stott said. "I hope he will now tell us where he has left her body, so she can be laid to rest with dignity."

Searches carried out by police included repeated appeals for information, enquiries for dashcam footage in the March and Christchurch areas from Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, and searches of water near Bedlam Bridge, Boots Bridge and the Sixteen Foot Bank drainage channel. Officers said a fisherman discovered an item believed to be human hair in the water, but forensic testing indicated it did not come from Buckley.

Hutchings’ social media profile included a 2019 photograph showing him wearing a face mask resembling that used by the fictional character Hannibal Lecter; the image was shared by acquaintances at the time and prompted light-hearted comments. Police have not linked that image to the investigation.

Buckley’s disappearance and Hutchings’ subsequent guilty plea have prompted continued appeals from investigators for anyone with information to contact Cambridgeshire Police. Despite the conviction, the absence of a recovered body means searches and enquiries are ongoing as officers seek to provide answers for the victim’s family.