Labourer Mohammed Durnion has been jailed for 18 years for the manslaughter of mother-of-two Reanne Coulson, whose body was found in a shallow grave near Coventry last summer.
Mohammed Durnion’s friend and fellow ground worker Adam Moore was jailed for six years for assisting an offender, by helping to dispose of Ms Coulson’s body in Binley Woods.
Passing sentence on both men at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said that Ms Coulson had been deeply loved by her entire family, and was someone who helped others without hesitation.
The judge said that Durnion had “showed total contempt for her in life and in death”.
She told Durnion: “You put her body into a suitcase. You drove around with it on board, covering some considerable distance, to scope out locations where you might dispose of her body on land or in water.”
The judge also ruled that while the cause of death could not be established, the evidence showed that Durnion had strangled the victim.
Durnion, 42, was convicted of manslaughter by a majority 11-1 verdict on Tuesday.
Jurors had heard how he used petrol to set part of Ms Coulson’s body on fire.
They had cleared him of murder and had been instructed to find him guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter if they believed he had not intended to cause really serious bodily harm to Ms Coulson.
Durnion claimed during the trial that the 33-year-old died from a drug overdose on the night of 21 May 2025, when he had taken “stupid amounts” of cocaine and panicked, before burying her body in woodland five miles from his home.
He initially refused to answer police questions after his arrest on 24 June but took officers to the makeshift grave after being shown footage of a media appeal made by his victim’s relatives.
The three-week trial heard that police were sent to Durnion’s flat after a 999 call made by a neighbour who heard Ms Coulson, a sex worker who was known to take drugs, shouting for help.
Durnion, who had hidden Ms Coulson’s body under a mattress just minutes before, was caught on police body-worn cameras as he feigned a mental health crisis and falsely claimed his father had cancer.
Ms Coulson’s family raised the alarm after she failed to make contact with them on her birthday on 17 June 2025.
Her body was found 10 days later in woodland.
In a victim impact statement to the court, Ms Coulson’s mother, Lynne Sparkes, said family members had been left with a “lifetime of overwhelming grief”.
Ms Sparkes’ statement, read to the court by a prosecution barrister, said: “Reanne was a beautiful, caring, loving person whose infectious laugh could light up any room.
“She had a heart of gold and was always willing to help anyone in need.”
Ms Coulson’s kindness and warmth had touched everyone she knew, her mother said, adding: “This grief has reached every generation of our family.
“This crime has torn through our entire family and our lives have changed beyond recognition.
“The damage is something we will carry for the rest of our lives.
“The pain of losing my daughter in such a violent way is something I carry in every moment.”
Other statements from relatives were also read to the court. One said “the pain, trauma and devastation” would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Ms Coulson’s twin, Kirsten Coulson, said she had been left with an overwhelming sense of emptiness.
Her statement read: “I am still trying to comprehend a world where my twin no longer exists.”
The sentencing hearing was told Durnion has 14 previous convictions, including for battery and assault offences recorded in 2002 and 2023.
David Mason KC, offering mitigation for Durnion, said the case served as a warning of the dangers of Class A drug use.
Mr Mason said: “This is not a man at 42 years of age who is a hardened criminal.
“He has completely gone off the rails and has got himself in a terrible, terrible situation.”
