Woman, 28, admits murdering man in park

A woman has admitted murdering a man in a public park after changing her plea on the day her trial was due to start.

Gary Grant, 54, was found by Suffolk Police in Sparrow's Nest Gardens, Lowestoft, at about 22:15 GMT on 20 March.

Amber Stebbings, 28, of no fixed address, was charged with his murder and initially pleaded not guilty, but changed her plea at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday to guilty.

Judge Samantha Leigh said Stebbings would be sentenced on 14 January.

Stebbings, who wore a black shirt and glasses, gave a small nod of acknowledgement as she was told the sentence for murder was life.

She will be told the minimum number of years she must spend behind bars before being eligible for early release.

When Grant was found unresponsive, emergency services tried to treat him before he was pronounced dead.

At the time, police assured the public it was being treated as an "isolated incident" and that Stebbings and Grant were "understood to have been known to each other".

Det Supt Matthew Connick welcomed Stebbings's change of plea, preventing Grant's family from having to sit through a "lengthy and traumatic trial".

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.