Murderer Jonathan Clarke was living in Great Yarmouth with his girlfriend Kerri Glover, the mother of his child, when he met Simon Everitt – the 17-year-old student he later killed.

Clarke, 20, had a rocky on-off relationship with Miss Glover but the pair decided to make another go of things just two weeks before detectives arrested him.

They moved to Telford to start a new life together after he was released on bail.

But that time proved short-lived as Clarke was re-arrested at the home they were sharing in Malinslee.

His devastated 26-year-old girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child at the time of his arrest and has since lost the baby, said she still believed her lover was innocent, despite him preparing to start a life sentence.

The mother-of-four, from Sutton Hill, Telford, who met Clarke through friends and moved to Great Yarmouth in order to live with him, said: “I don’t believe it – I really don’t.

Father

“What I don’t understand is that I was down there when it was meant to have happened but he never left my side – the whole time I was there he never left me.

“It wasn’t just 20 minutes here and there it was 24 hours a day. I just don’t know how he could have murdered Simon.”

The mother-of-four said Clarke was known as “dad” to both of her sons, aged six and five, and daughters, aged three and two, but she said he was only the biological father of the youngest.

She said Clarke knew murder victim Simon and they had had “disagreements” but never serious enough to end in death.

While visiting Clarke in prison before the start of the trial, Miss Glover said he was coping with his arrest for murder. She said despite his murder conviction she did not believe he had done it.

“He seems okay but I don’t know whether the seriousness of it all has really sunk in. When he writes letters he always talks about coming home and leading a normal life.

“After we came back to Telford after he was first arrested and released we planned to stay here and settle down with the children.

Caring

“Jonathan isn’t capable of such a thing as murder. To be honest I wouldn’t stand by the lad if I thought he had done something like that.”

Clarke’s family have not stood by him and he is only supported by his girlfriend.

Unable to come to terms with her boyfriend and father figure to her children being a murderer, Miss Glover added: “He was loving and caring and brilliant with the children. I will stand by him whatever.

“He wanted to share his life with me and the children in Telford. He also wanted to get a job but there wasn’t anything in particular he wanted to do.”

She said she had never seen her boyfriend’s murder victim before but knew the pair were friends.

Simon was tied to a tree and forced to drink fuel before being set on fire in woods in Great Yarmouth sometime between June 6 and 29 last year.

Miss Glover said she could only vouch for being with Clarke from June 7 onwards – leaving just one day for him to commit the murder. But the murdered student was last seen alive on June 7 riding his bike through Great Yarmouth.

She said her lover was not an angel but that did not mean he was capable of killing.

“Jonathan had had fights and stuff before but that doesn’t make him a murderer because people do have fights. He was brilliant with the children and the children love him. It’s been so hard without him.

“Jonathan treats all of the children as his own – he’s much more mature than his age.

“To have your boyfriend inside accused of murder is not something you go through in everyday life.”

Suspicion

But Miss Glover said her sympathies also lay with the family of murdered Simon.

“I do feel sorry for Simon’s family. At the end of the day they have lost their baby because he was a young man and was only just starting out in life,” she said.

Miss Glover said despite being arrested on suspicion of murder, Clarke carried on with his life as normal while on police bail. “This is what I didn’t understand – for somebody that is supposed to have done something as bad as that he was at ease and sleeping,” she said.

And Miss Glover said Clarke was looking forward to becoming a father again when the couple moved to Telford.

“We found out I was pregnant the same day we came over to Telford. He was so happy.

“When I lost the baby he was upset but as he said perhaps it wasn’t the right time and when he does come out we can try again.

“Jonathan never says ‘if’ he comes out he always says ‘when’ and I’ll stand by him all of the way.”

By Crime Correspondent Kirsty Smallman