Coventry Labourer Convicted in Woodland Burial Case
A Coventry labourer has been found guilty of manslaughter after killing a sex worker whose remains were discovered buried in woodland, five weeks after police failed to locate her body during a search of his flat.
Verdict and Trial Details
Mohammed Durnion, 42, of Paynes Lane, Coventry, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter by an 11-1 majority verdict at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday. The court heard how Durnion used petrol to set part of the victim's corpse on fire after her death.
Durnion showed no obvious reaction in the dock as the verdict was returned. His friend and fellow ground worker, Adam Moore, 39, of Marlcroft, Willenhall, Coventry, was also convicted of assisting an offender by helping dispose of the body in Binley Woods on May 22.
The Victim and Circumstances
The victim was identified as Reanne Coulson, a 33-year-old mother-of-two who worked as a sex worker and was known to take drugs. Standing at 5ft 1ins and weighing less than nine stone, Coulson suffered severe neck and head injuries that Durnion could not explain during the trial.
Prosecutor Timothy Cray KC alleged that Coulson had been attacked and strangled, describing it as "a deliberate attack by a powerfully built man on a vulnerable and defenceless woman." Durnion claimed she died from a drug overdose on May 21 last year, when he had taken "stupid amounts" of cocaine and panicked.
Police Response and Missed Opportunities
The three-week trial revealed disturbing details about the police response. Officers were called to Durnion's flat after a neighbor heard a woman "screaming in fear" and dialed 999 at 11:26pm on May 21. Police conducted a search in the early hours of May 22 but failed to discover Coulson's body hidden under a mattress.
Body-worn camera footage showed Durnion feigning a mental health crisis and falsely claiming his father had cancer minutes after the killing, around an hour before officers searched his flat. Additional footage released by West Midlands Police showed Durnion later leading officers to the makeshift grave near a bridleway in Binley Woods, approximately five miles from his home.
Investigation and Family Impact
Detective Inspector Nigel Box of West Midlands Police expressed heartbreak for Coulson's family, stating: "Reanne was a mother, she was an auntie, she was a sister, she was a daughter, and our heart goes out to the family." The force conducted a review through its Professional Standards Department, identifying "some opportunities for learning" but no misconduct.
Durnion was arrested on June 24 and initially refused to answer questions. He only led police to the grave after being shown footage of a media appeal made by Coulson's relatives. A witness reported seeing Durnion smirking while carrying a suitcase used to move the body before he went on a drugs binge prior to his arrest.
Sentencing and Aftermath
Both defendants will be sentenced on Thursday. The case has raised questions about police procedures during searches, particularly given that officers used a mobile phone as a torch during their initial examination of Durnion's flat but still missed the victim's body.
West Midlands Police stated they have "liaised with Reanne's family throughout the investigation into her death" and expressed regret for not finding her during the initial search on May 21.
