The family of a Nottinghamshire woman who was killed by a neighbour in her flat have paid tribute to their 'beautiful and intelligent' daughter. Ruth Hufton's body lay undiscovered for four days before it was found by police on September 25, 2023, after the 46-year-old's mother grew increasingly concerned about her welfare after having no contact for a few days. Her body was found at a flat in County Close, Beeston.
The man responsible for her killing, Anthony Green - a 51-year-old neighbour of the County Close block in Beeston - tied a scarf "tightly" twice around Ms Hufton's neck, preventing her from breathing, in the morning of September 21, 2023. A Nottingham Crown Court sentencing hearing on Thursday, June 13, was told how the pair were brought together by their mutual addiction for class-A drugs. In a moving joint statement, Ms Hufton's family said she will "forever be in our hearts".
"Ruth was a beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed, determined and gifted person whose life was cruelly taken from her," the statement read. "She was a huge music fan who loved Madonna and U2. She was very talented herself and could speak multiple languages, having once worked in the Army as a linguist in the Royal Signals.
She could also communicate in sign-language. "To hear the words she had died in such awful circumstances was truly devastating and changed all our lives forever. Knowing we will never see her again is unbearable.
"No sentence passed can make up for the pain we are feelin.