British man who confessed to murdering young B.C. woman sentenced to life in U.K. prison

British Columbia

Jack Sepple pleaded guilty to killing Ashley Wadsworth, 19, who had moved to the United Kingdom to be with him.

Jack Sepple admitted killing Ashley Wadsworth, a 19-year-old from Vernon, B.C., at his home in February 2021

CBC News

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Ashley Wadsworth, 19, was killed on Feb. 1, 2021, in the Chelmsford home of Jack Sepple, who confessed to the crime last month. Wadsworth had met Sepple online and moved to England to meet him. (Submitted by Charmaine Wadsworth)

A British man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Vernon, B.C., teenager who moved to England last year to meet him.

Essex Police said in a statement that Jack Sepple, 23, will spend a minimum of 23½ years in prison for the death of Ashley Wadsworth.

Wadsworth, 19, was stabbed and strangled during a sustained attack in Sepple’s Chelmsford, U.K., home on Feb. 1, 2021.

Earlier that day, police said, two of the young woman’s friends received texts saying Wadsworth needed help and wanted to leave. These were followed by messages saying everything was “sorted,” which officials later determined were sent after her death.

During a trial preparation hearing in Chelmsford Crown Court last month, Sepple admitted to the killing. Wadsworth had moved to England to be with Sepple after the two met online. 

Sepple, 23, pictured after his arrest. He will serve a minimum of 23½ years in prison, police in the U.K. say. (Supplied by Essex Police)

In a statement shared by police, Wadsworth’s mother Christy Gedron said she was a beautiful and smart young woman who was “the backbone of our little family.”

with files from Canadian Press