A man who murdered a talented artist will spend almost six years longer in prison after her family successfully appealed for his sentence to be increased.
Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss ambushed Claire Knights, from Upstreet, Canterbury, while she was walking her dog in Birchington – subjecting her to a vicious sexual assault before beating her unconscious and dumping her body.
The former pub chef, from Margate, was originally given a minimum term of 25 years and 183 days when he was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court in February.
But at the Court of Appeal today, Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Calver and Her Honour Judge Angela Morris deemed that sentence overly lenient, and increased it to 31 years.
Ms Knights’ family told KentOnline they can now remember the mum “as she should be remembered”, and say the murderer “malingered and fed a story to police”.
Their lawyer Jonathon Polnay today listed the aggravating factors which he argued deserved more weight.
Those were the targeting of the mum as a lone female, the extreme nature of violence used and the disposal of her body in a dyke, so that it was hidden from view.
Quoting Canterbury Crown Court judge Mr Justice Garnham, he said: “This was a merciless beating causing catastrophic brain injuries and multiple facial fractures. There would have been a very significant period of mental and physical suffering.
“She must have been terrified as she considered the likelihood that you were going to kill her.”
Mr Polnay added: “That is an aggravating factor of some weight. That’s not part and parcel of a murder.”
He also referenced mitigating factors considered by the original judge.
One of those was Van-Pooss’ guilty plea, which he submitted in December 2024, over a year after Ms Knights’ death in August 2023.
This followed several reports to determine the 21-year-old’s mental status due to his presenting psychotic symptoms.
It was deemed he did not have psychosis, and it was suggested he had faked such symptoms.
Mr Polnay said: “It took some considerable time for the plea to be entered. Reports were necessary for this case.
“I entirely accept the offender does have a mental disorder, but he inevitably made the process longer and more complicated.
“He is someone who has malingered and continued to present false symptoms.”
Van Pooss was represented in court by Stephen Moses.
He said: “Any findings of fact that there was malingering are explained by the personality disorder, but are not, in our case, perverting the course of justice.
“Matters were consistent with a personality disorder rather than simply framing mental illness.”
He also put forward that a previous defence taken by Van Pooss – that Ms Knights made sexual advances towards him – was never advanced, so should not alter the level of credit given.
Ultimately, the Court of Appeal judges decided a mistake had been made in the original sentencing.
Lord Justice Edis said: “The first thing we wish to say is that we commend the experienced judge for his approach to this case.
“The judge, in dealing with a horrifying and dreadful case of this kind, has to firmly try and succeed in maintaining an objective approach.
“The judge’s job is to apply the law it the facts of the case and to be fair to the person who is to be sentenced. That is not easy in any case like this.
“We believe in making this decision, the judge did fall into error because the aggravating factors did outweigh the mitigating factors.
“That is enforced by what we have to say about the defendant’s conduct in mimicking psychosis.”
They said a starting term of 33 years should have been given, with only two years deducted for the late guilty plea.
Ms Knight’s son Elliot Knights-Sloane and her younger sister Annie Watson spoke to KentOnline outside court today.
Mr Knights-Sloane said: “There were things that we felt were glossed over and ignored that were hugely significant in the first hearing, and have now been brought up and actually addressed.
“The principle of that is what matters more than anything else.”
His aunt added: “The three judges recognised that the perpetrator had strung this all along and malingered all the way through and fed the police the story.
“There’s a sense of relief now, because every time you come (to court), it just throws you straight back to the horror of it.
“This means now we can get on and we can remember Claire as she should be remembered, and that’s what’s important.”
Referencing the wider issue of violence at home and abroad, she added: “I do think we should remember that Claire is one woman who was really important to us.
“But there are millions of women, children and men who are currently being murdered in Palestine.”
Mr Knights-Sloane continued: “We want her death to mean something, and we want something positive to come out of her death.
“If we can do anything towards stopping violence against women, that would be a positive thing.”
At Canterbury Crown Court, Ms Knights’ friends and family heard harrowing details of how she was ambushed as she strolled with her Springer spaniel in Minnis Bay, Birchington, on August 23, 2023.
Van-Pooss subjected her to a vicious sexual assault and beating before dumping her unconscious, but still alive, in a nearby water-filled dyke.
The “highly sexualised” killer was seen on CCTV going to the gym and buying snacks just hours before the brutal murder.
