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Martin Suter Jailed for Life With 27 Years, 230 Days Minimum for Cemetery Murder of Ex-Wife

The sentence reflects a planned ambush at their son's grave on his birthday.

Overview

  • Portsmouth Crown Court sentenced 68-year-old Martin Suter on 21 November 2025 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years and 230 days.
  • Prosecutors said he armed himself with a kitchen knife, waited at Crofton Cemetery for more than five hours, and attacked Ann Blackwood as she approached their son's grave.
  • After the knife blade broke, he used the scissors she had brought to trim flowers, with the court hearing she suffered 19 stab wounds to her neck and shoulder.
  • Suter called 999 from the scene to confess and told police he blamed his ex-wife for their son's death.
  • He pleaded guilty to murder on the first day of trial after a manslaughter plea was rejected, and the life term also incorporates a separate indecent-assault conviction.