One of the murderers of north Essex teenager Debra Carne was due to appeal against her sentence today.

Emma Last, 20, was listed to appear today at the Court of Appeal in London, before appeal judges Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, Mr Justice Silber and Mrs Justice Rafferty.

The aim of the hearing is to determine whether Last, formerly of The Foyer, St Michael's Road, Braintree, received an appropriate sentence for murdering Miss Carne.

After Last admitted the murder at Chelmsford Crown Court earlier this year, trial judge Mr Justice Nelson ordered that she serve at least 20 years of a life sentence in jail.

Miss Carne was lured to a country lane near Castle Hedingham on July 28, 2002, and asphyxiated, doused in petrol and her body set on fire.

Kerry Bauer, also from The Foyer, denied murder but was found guilty by the jury and was ordered to serve 17 years of a life sentence.

Steven Wood, 24, of Parker Way, Halstead, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence.

Nicole Hollinshead, 20, was cleared of murder and manslaughter but convicted of conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm and jailed for five years.

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Published Monday, December 20, 2004

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