A Wiltshire man has admitted killing his ex-girlfriend but denies murdering her daughter.
HGV driver Robert Leeming, from Marlborough, pleaded guilty to hitting Jasmine Lovett, 25, with a hammer before shooting her in the head with a rifle in Canada.
Jasmine and her 22-month-old daughter Aliyah Sanderson were reported missing on 23 April, sparking an extensive search.
Two weeks later, Leeming led police to their bodies in Kananaskis, 70 miles away from his home in Calgary. They were buried in shallow graves.
The 36-year-old, who moved to Canada in 2013, admitted losing his temper and attacking Jasmine, fatally wounding her.
As reported by The Mirror, defence lawyer Balfour Der said there is no evidence to prove his client was responsible for Aliyah’s death. He added that the medical examiner had testified it was possible the injuries might have been from a fall.
“The absence of evidence will support reasonable doubt,” he told Court of Queen’s Justice Keith Yamauchi.
“The verdict should be not guilty but, I say, as an alternative, there may be a finding of manslaughter.”
Prosecutor Doug Taylor replied: “He told lie after lie after he murdered Jasmine, and, so says the Crown, Aliyah. He lied to the police. He lied to the public. He lied to his ex-wife. He lied to his employer.
“All of this was a calculated scheme to get away with murder – and not just one, but two.”
He will be sentenced in December.
