Skip to content

Man denies murdering 'caring' mother-of-two

George Kingat Ipswich Crown Court
News imageFacebook A head and shoulders black and white image of a young woman who is smiling. She has a nose ring and is looking into the camera.Facebook
Karlie Sone was declared dead at a property on the estate north of Woodbridge Road on 10 March

A man will stand trial next year after pleading not guilty to the murder of a mother-of-two who was found unresponsive on a housing estate.

Suffolk Police officers were called to a property on Russet Road, Ipswich at about 01:10 GMT on Wednesday, 10 March following concerns for the welfare of Karlie Sone.

The 28-year-old was declared dead a short while later, before Paul Stevenson, 39, of Fletcher Road, in Ipswich, was arrested and later charged with murder.

At Ipswich Crown Court, he denied murdering Sone – who was also known as Karlie Day. A four-week trial has been scheduled to begin on 22 March.

News imageFacebook A headshot of a man with a neck tattoo. He is looking directly into the camera and there is a crowd of people in the background. Facebook
Paul Stevenson (pictured) remains in custody and appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via a videolink

During the plea and trial preparation hearing, those gathered in the public gallery appeared unhappy at the trial being scheduled for nine months' time.

At a previous hearing, it had been suggested it could take place in September, but the court has been told that a specialist bone pathologist would be required.

Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said they were rare and it could take a while to find one who could take on the case and then months for them to file their report.

He added that pathology would be "extremely important in this case".

Chris Paxton KC, defending, said the case had "taken on a shape and size I don't think anyone quite appreciated".

This was echoed by Judge Samantha Leigh, who will preside over the trial.

"The landscape of the case has changed since it was first in front of me," she told the court.

News imageTwo police cars parked up at night outside a block of flats
Suffolk Police said Sone and Stevenson were known to each other
News imageJon Wright/BBC Flower tributes lying on grass propped up against a building.Jon Wright/BBC
The 28-year-old was described on social media as being a "beautiful, kind soul"

Following Sone's death, floral tributes were left at the scene, a vigil was held in her memory in Landseer Park in Ipswich, and her family paid tribute to her.

At the time, her older brother Kris Sone told the BBC she was "a caring person" and her children "were everything for her".

"They were her main driver to get her out of bed in the morning and to go and seize the day; she was the most devoted mum," he said.

"She was always happy and trying to motivate people around her to make better decisions or help them with things that they were going through.

"If she could help, she would. She just always wanted to give and would never hurt anybody – she was genuinely one of the nicest people."

News imageSupplied A slanted, selfie image of a young woman with long blonde hair. She is wearing a necklace and looking directly into the camera. Supplied
Sone, who loved music and was hoping to become a nursery practitioner, had an older and a younger sister and two brothers

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Related internet links