A crack addict who killed a young mother in a sex murder only eight days after being bailed over a rape allegation was jailed for life yesterday.

Christopher Braithwaite was told he must serve a minimum of 30 years in prison before being considered for release on parole for killing Stacey Westbury, 23.

Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society, said the case demonstrated the damage done when allegations of rape were not taken seriously enough.

Braithwaite, 22, sexually assaulted Ms Westbury before strangling and stabbing her with a 14-inch kitchen knife. Her ten-month-old son Kayden lay in his cot and was discovered crying at the flat in West Kensington, London, when the victim’s father visited later that day.

Braithwaite, from Shepherd’s Bush in West London, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murder and sexual penetration without consent. A series of other rape charges were allowed to lie on the file.

Ms Westbury, who had attended the same school as Braithwaite, was alone in her flat when he carried out his attack in August last year.

The victim’s father, Ken Westbury, and her mother, Lorraine Beasley, held each other’s hands and whispered “yes” as Braithwaite was jailed.

Ms Beasley said that their grandson had nightmares and became hysterical if strangers came to the house.

The woman said to have been subjected to the rape days before the murder sat in court weeping as details of Braithwaite’s crime were read out.

Victor Temple, QC, prosecuting, said that there was enough evidence to prosecute him over the earlier attack and another series of rape counts relating to another woman in 2005 but it was not in the public interest to hold a trial.

Mr Temple said the attack on Ms Westbury was a “particularly grave sexually motivated murder”.

He said: “This defendant, addicted to crack cocaine, carried out a violent sexual assault on a defencelss young woman which in turn involved an element of sexual abuse accompanied by strangulation.”

He said Braithwaite did nothing to alert anyone to the presence of a baby on its own in the flat and that he returned after the murder to steal a telephone, some jewellery and a bicycle.

He made clear that the victim, who had a boyfriend, was no more than an acquaintance of Braithwaite.

Oliver Blunt, QC, mitigating, said that Braithwaite was suffering from a personality disorder, worsened by his use of drugs.

Braithwaite had a previous conviction for wounding after he stabbed a man in 2005.

Judge Stephen Kramer said as he sentenced Braithwaite: “What you did to her was not simply a momentary burst of rage.” He added: “She was only 23 years old, she was with her ten-month-old son. What you did in killing her, robbing her family of a much loved daughter and sister, has been devastating to them.”

It is not uncommon for someone arrested in connection with a rape inquiry to be released on bail.

This could be because detectives may need to speak to further witnesses or were waiting for results from scientific tests. An alleged rape was committed by a criminal who would have been behind bars if he had not been freed under the Government’s emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding, it was disclosed yesterday.

The alleged rape is one of six sexual offences allegedly committed so far by inmates freed under a scheme that was brought in a year ago.

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