Double murderer jailed for life

A convicted murderer who killed a man in Stoke-on-Trent a year after being released on parole has been jailed for the rest of his life.

Michael Smith, 52, hit Peter Summers, 35, with a champagne bottle, causing major head injuries, before stealing £8,000 from his flat in Squires View.

Smith, who was living in a hostel in Stafford, pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Summers last August.

He had previously been jailed in 1976 for murdering his 18-year-old partner.

'Never enough'

Smith was released on parole in August 2005.

In a statement released after sentencing at Stafford Crown Court, Mr Summers' mother, Stella Parsons, said: "I'm still as angry with Smith as I was then.

"His sentence will never be enough. His greed cost me my son's life. Money is the root of all evil.

"Peter and I were always speaking or texting on our mobiles, but I hadn't heard from him for days. I knew that the body would be his.

"The journey to Stoke seemed to take forever. Even now, every time we make the trip it brings back all the emotions of that day.

"It's true what people say - when you've lost a loved one you think of them first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I still often cry myself to sleep."