Woman guilty of murdering mother-in-law in fire for inheritance

Prosecutors said Vamplew had been in debt and had been using her mother-in-law’s bank account to fund her lifestyle.

The day before the fire, the pair were seen in a Santander bank after a £5 limit had been placed on the account, the court was told.

The defendant was seen on CCTV leaving her home in King Street, Newark, at about 00:35 GMT on the day of the fire.

She was seen parking nearby, but not outside her mother-in-law’s home, wearing a hoodie.

Returning 30 minutes later, Vamplew was seen on CCTV running to her car at 01:13 before heading home, the jury heard.

Four minutes after returning home, she again got into her car and drove back to the Eton Court area before reporting the fire at 01:25, the court heard.

Vamplew told police she had become anxious when Elizabeth, known as and referred to in court as Anne, did not call her that night as she normally did.

She said she had gone to check on Anne, who used a wheelchair and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but had forgotten the keys to the bungalow and returned to her own home to get them.

She claimed she had arrived back at the bungalow to find it ablaze and heard Anne screaming inside.

She said she broke in to try to help her but was forced back by heavy smoke.

The prosecution said her story was “a charade”.