The prison sentence of a man who sexually assaulted and murdered a dog walker in Kent has been increased by the Court of Appeal, following a successful challenge brought on behalf of the Solicitor General.
Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, from Margate, had been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years and 183 days in February 2025 for the murder of Claire Knights, 54, near Minnis Bay in August 2023.
At a hearing on 25 July 2025, Jonathan Polnay KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman, acting on behalf of the Solicitor General, argued that the original sentence was unduly lenient. He submitted that the sentencing judge had not given sufficient weight to the targeting of a lone woman, the extreme violence of the attack, and the deliberate concealment of Ms Knights’ body. He also contended that the reduction applied for Van-Pooss’s guilty plea was excessive.
The Court of Appeal, comprising Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Calver and Her Honour Judge Angela Morris agreed - increasing the minimum term to 29 years and 229 days.
In his judgment, Lord Justice Edis said Van-Pooss had acted in a “calculated” and “brutal” manner, and that the case had caused widespread concern in the local community. He concluded that the aggravating features of the case had been underestimated at the original sentencing.
Van-Pooss had also pleaded guilty to a voyeurism offence committed the day before the murder. He was arrested shortly after the killing, and Ms Knights’ body was discovered two days later concealed in a dyke near the attack site.
The case has featured in National Press and by the Attorney General’s Office:
Jonathan Polnay KC