A Cuffley man has been sentenced to 23 years imprisonment for attempting to kill a relative for her inheritance. 

Andrew Oliver, aged 56, of Northaw Road East, Cuffley, was sentenced on Monday (December 4) at St Albans Crown Court after a jury found him guilty on Wednesday (29 November). 

At around 8pm on Friday, January 20, Oliver attended the address of a relative aged in her seventies in Cuffley.  

Oliver attacked the victim as she was leaving her house. She fell to the floor and Oliver began hitting her head against the concrete ground. He repeatedly punched her face, causing her to see stars. 

The victim offered Oliver money during the assault to make him stop but he refused saying it was not enough and that he needed her inheritance.  

Oliver left the victim outside in the freezing cold whilst he went into her property. For around nine hours, the victim was left fighting for her life and Oliver would periodically come back and continue assaulting her. She tried to get up several times but Oliver kept dragging her back.   

At one point Oliver came out of the house with something wrapped in his hands, possibly an old dish cloth covered in plastic bags, and he pressed it against the victim's airways in an attempt to suffocate her. She managed to fight him off but then later on, he came out of the house again and tried choking her with her handbag strap. 

Finally, at around 5am, the victim managed to get up and flee to a neighbour's house for help. Oliver was arrested by police later that morning. 

Detective Inspector Bianca Broadbent, from the Welwyn Hatfield Local Crime Unit, said: "Oliver showed unimaginable depravity towards his victim.

"The temperature on that night was below zero degrees Celsius and she truly believed that she was going to die. She even tried leaving a scratch mark on Oliver so that if she died, her killer would be caught. 

"I cannot imagine the trauma this ordeal caused and I want to commend her bravery. She showed remarkable strength fighting against a man, decades younger than her.  

"I would also like to pay a special mention to PC Chloe Weir who worked so hard to help get this result for the victim.  

"The court determined that the motive was financial gain as Oliver was in huge debt and the victim had left her estate to him in her will. I hope that Oliver now spends his time behind bars reflecting on his actions whilst his victim can live a life free from his cruelty." 

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101. 

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.