A woman who had sex with a vulnerable man and encouraged two of her friends to murder him after she tried to "ghost" him has been jailed for life.
Ipswich Crown Court heard how Becki West-Davidson, 30, ignored messages and protestations of love from autistic Joe Pooley, 22, after they slept together.
She became enraged and arranged a revenge attack on him after he reacted to her lack of replies by saying that he was surprised she did not live with her children.
Her friends Sean Palmer, 31, and Sebastian Smith, 35, attacked Mr Pooley before throwing him into the River Gipping in Ipswich, Suffolk where he drowned.
Palmer was later said to have confessed to his mother that he held Mr Pooley under the water.
Mr Pooley was found dead in the river by a dog walker nearly a week after being attacked in the early hours of August 7, 2018.
Smith, who was known at the time as Luke Greenland, joined Mr Pooley's family in their search for him before his body was found.
The court heard that Smith had allegedly confessed to a friend that he had taken Mr Pooley to a wood a week before his death and told him to "dig his own grave".
West-Davidson of Ipswich pretended to be grief stricken after Mr Pooley died and was even hugged by his mother who regarded her as one of his friends at a memorial event.
She was ordered to serve 17 years behind bars by Judge Martyn Levett after he said he was satisfied that he she had encouraged the attack.
Smith of Hawick, Roxburghshire, and Palmer of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, were also jailed for life for murder. Smith was ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years and Palmer was told he must serve 18 years.
All three had denied murder, but were found guilty after an earlier four month trial.
Jurors heard how West-Davidson and Mr Pooley had sex at her flat before exchanging a flurry of text messages.
But his loving and affectionate messages showed an intensity of feeling that "stoked her anger and hostility".
The judge told her: "There is no doubt in my mind that you encouraged the attack on Joe Pooley. The sad thing is that he was only after a loving heart, but you betrayed his heart.
"You were part of a group of people who accepted Joe when it suited you, but no sooner had that been done, you rejected him."
West-Davidson was said to have become enraged after Mr Pooley sent her one message which said: "No wonder you ain't with your kids".
The jury heard it was a "clear reference" to her children not living with her and it had made her "so angry" that she "smashed up her room".
Mr Pooley was then lured to a meeting, before being walked home by Smith and Palmer who attacked him beside the river.
Mr Pooley's mother Sam Nicholls read out her victim impact statement, saying he had learning disabilities which became more challenging as he got older.
Ms Nicholls said: "He was desperate for friends but was sadly unable to tell that people around him were not friends."
Smith failed to attend the court for his sentencing, sending a message which was read out by the judge saying he felt he had been "rail roaded" throughout.
During the trial, he claimed he punched Mr Pooley twice before he and Palmer ran off and left him on the ground.
Asked why he left Ipswich for Scotland shortly after the alleged murder, Smith said he "needed to get away for a while".
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton QC claimed West-Davidson "tried to cover up" the alleged murder by deleting a number of Facebook messages.
They included one in which Mr Pooley asked her to "call off the hit" and another telling him: "You're f****d, mate".
Smith's ex-girlfriend Lisa-Marie Smith, 26, was cleared of murder and manslaughter at the trial.
