A man has been given life imprisonment for the murder of a woman who was attacked and killed in her own home in Southall in 1991. 

David Smith, 66, was given life in prison and a minimum sentence of 27 years following a sentencing at Inner London Court on Friday 26th May having been found guilty of the murder of Sarah Crump, 33, earlier this week. 

Smith had initially been acquitted of the murder after the original trial in 1993 before going on to murder 21-year-old Amanda Walker in 1999 and he has been in jail ever since. 

Crump's family said: "At long last justice for our lovely Sarah. If only our Mum & Dad were here with us today to share this momentous occasion. 

"After the disheartening acquittal at the Old Bailey in 1993, our Mum said that Smith would kill again. Eight years later, he was found guilty of an even more savage murder and mutilation of a young woman and mother, which he later admitted. 

"Thirty years may have passed but we still miss Sarah - she was a shining light in a murky world who wished for the best but found the worst in humanity. 

"We would like to thank the tenacity, dedication and teamwork of the Metropolitan Police Service; this is not "just a job" for them and we are so grateful.  

"The same can be said for the legal team, with determination and professionalism shown to ensure the correct verdict was met. Plus all the witnesses who came forward at great personal sacrifice." 

Crump was a former nurse working as a medical secretary and living alone on Lady Margaret Road in Southall when she was murdered in August 1991, she was also engaged in escort work, which is how she came into contact with Smith. 

Smith was a persistent user of escorts and had a history of obsessive behaviour and sexual violence towards women, having been convicted of stranger rape in 1976 and the false imprisonment of a woman in 1987, ten days prior to the murder of Crump he had been arrested and charged with attempted rape at knife point of an escort at a hotel in Ashford. 

The day prior to the attack Smith had made three attempts at booking escorts, but the meetings had not transpired, he would usually invite them to his own house, but in this instance, he made sure it was at their address and made sure that they would be alone. 

On 28 August 1991, Smith – using the false name 'Duncan' – booked Sarah's services through the Elite Escort Agency, using his work phone in Heathrow to place the booking. 

Crump called the agency to confirm Smith had arrived and paid and afterwards called them again at around 2am, but the person from the agency noticed that the call was short and abrupt and did not use her own name. 

She failed to turn up to work the following day and after concerns were raised her body was found on 1st September, she had suffered multiple injuries and there was clear evidence in the bathroom of someone trying to wash blood off themselves. 

Duncan was identified as being Smith and after changing his story multiple times to police, he admitted he had been to her house, but had left Crump prior to her being attacked. 

Smith was tried for her murder in 1993 but was acquitted. In 1999, while on trial for Walker's murder he confessed to another prisoner that he had committed a similar murder and described injuries similar to those of Crump. 

After the law was changed to allow 'double jeopardy' prosecutions in certain circumstances, Met detectives started a re-investigation of Crump's murder.  

New evidence was collated alongside existing material and presented to the Director of Public Prosecutions with the request that an application be made to the Court of Appeal to overturn Smith's acquittal and in 2021 this was granted by the DPP and the following year the Court of Appeal heard the case and ordered Smith's re-trial.