Martin Suter, 68, is facing a minimum of 27 years and 230 days behind bars after being handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of his 71-year-old ex-wife, Ann Blackwood, according to the BBC. This wasn’t just a random crime; Suter chose the most agonizing day possible to commit the ultimate betrayal, attacking Ms. Blackwood at Crofton Cemetery in Stubbington, Hampshire, on what would have been their late son’s 36th birthday.
Suter, who lives in Lee-on-the-Solent, previously pleaded guilty to the murder, which took place in July 2023. The court heard horrifying details about the sheer premeditation involved. Suter didn’t just happen upon his ex-wife; he lay in wait for about five hours at the cemetery before Ms. Blackwood arrived on her bicycle, planning to place flowers on their son’s grave.
Prosecutor Robert O’Sullivan KC detailed the horrifying attack. Suter initially stabbed Ms. Blackwood in the back with a kitchen knife. The force of the initial blow was so great that the blade broke off. Undeterred, Suter then repeatedly stabbed her in the neck with a pair of scissors. Adding to the tragedy, those scissors weren’t his; they were the ones Ms. Blackwood had brought with her specifically to cut the flowers for her son’s memorial.
This level of calculated cruelty is absolutely chilling
After the attack, Suter called 999 right from the graveside to confess. When members of the public saw the victim on the ground and asked if they could help, Suter reportedly told them, “No, she’s dead – I killed her. I called the police.” He then gave a disturbing explanation for his actions, claiming that Ms. Blackwood was responsible for their son’s suicide and that she had ruined his life over the past four decades. He told the witnesses, “It’s been 40 years. I couldn’t take it any more.”
Their teenage son, Christopher, tragically died in 2003 when he was just 15 years old. Suter and Ms. Blackwood divorced the following year. During the sentencing at Portsmouth Crown Court, Judge Michael Bowes KC did not mince words when addressing Suter. He imposed a life sentence, telling Suter directly, “You brutally murdered Ann Blackwood in the most cruel and agonising way you could.”
Ms. Blackwood was much more than just a victim in this terrible story. Her brother, John Blackwood, provided a victim personal statement that was read in court. He described his sister as the “hub of the family,” noting that she was “affable, inoffensive” and had many friends who loved her. He explained that her “shocking and brutal death has sorely impacted many people,” fracturing the family in “the most grotesque manner possible.”
Judge Bowes imposed an additional four-month sentence on Suter for a separate, extremely disturbing offense. About two months before the murder, on May 11, 2023, Suter had pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 14. This separate conviction added to the overall severity of the life sentence, which resulted in the 27 years and 109 days for murder, totaling the minimum time Suter must serve before he’s eligible for parole.
Published: Nov 21, 2025 06:30 pm