Harlow: Family pay tribute to 'Scottish Phil' as his murderer is given life sentence

The family of Phillip Lewis have paid tribute to his “kindness and cheeky character” on the day a man has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder.

Lee Clarke, 56 of Wedhey, Harlow appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 12 March where he was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 20 years.

The sentence follows a four-week trial where a jury found Clarke guilty of murder, after killing his friend Phillip Lewis in Harlow in 2022.

59-year-old Phillip Lewis, who was known locally in Harlow as ‘Scottish Phil’ went missing in November 2022. His remains were located at Oakwood Pond in Harlow on New Years Eve. Following the discovery, a large investigation was launched by Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate.

Within four days of the discovery, Phillip had been identified and Lee Clarke had been arrested on suspicion of his murder.

After being charged with murder, he was remanded into custody. Following the charge, officers from across various teams at Essex Police continued enquiries in Harlow. The underwater searches at multiple locations formed an integral part of efforts to locate evidence. These searches resulted in the recovery of more human remains belonging to Phil.

Following a four-week-trial, beginning on Wednesday, 7 February, Lee Clarke was found guilty of murder.

He was given a life sentence and must serve at least 20 years in prison. 

Following the sentencing, Phillip’s son, Connor Lewis and his family and good friends have paid tribute to his dad, saying the following:

“The man everyone knew as Phillip Lewis, I knew as ‘Dad’
“He was kind, caring and friendly. A stranger was always a friend. My life will be forever changed because of the actions of one man.
“My dad Phillip will never see his grandchild's beautiful smile and see them grow up and have days out at the park, zoo, seaside and be a Grandad.
“My dad enjoyed gardening and he was animal lover and music lover and loved to travel around the UK.
“Phillip loved to cook and enjoyed a variety of food. My dad was interested in antiques, loved motor mechanics and movies of all kinds.
“Phillip's good friends will miss my dad's kindness and cheeky character and his visiting them and sharing funny stories and having good times.
“The family across the UK have old memories, happy and sad, good times, and bad times.
“I will miss my dad's voice at the end of the phone and our time together. My dad was not only my dad he was my best friend and confident.
“I loved my dad to the moon and back and my life will be empty without "pops" in it.
“His body may be gone but my Pops spirit will always be with me and the family and his good friends.
“Pops we all miss you and love you.”

Speaking outside court after the sentencing, D/Supt Rob Kirby said: 

“Known locally as Scottish Phil, he lived in Harlow for many years before his life was cruelly cut short at the hands of Clarke.
“As unforgivable as this is, Clarke then went on to dismember the body and make several trips to local ponds and lakes to dispose of it piece by piece. It is simply incomprehensible, how somebody can do that to another human being.
“His actions have meant that despite painstaking searches over several weeks, we have not been able to recover all of Phillip’s remains. Clarke could have assisted us in order that Phil’s family could lay him to rest – but he instead chose to remain silent.
“Clarke thought that he had covered his tracks but forensic officers were able to find important evidence within Clarke’s flat showing that Phil had been killed there.
“I hope that today’s conviction/sentence will give Phil’s family some comfort in knowing his killer is behind bars where he belongs.
“This was a substantial homicide investigation involving teams from across Essex Police coming together to bring about this conviction. I want to particularly praise the search and dive teams who spent weeks conducting fingertip searches of dredged ponds which presented significant challenges.
“I want to thank the residents of Harlow. When this murder was reported, you came together as a strong community, showing the true spirit of the town. The residents around Oakwood Pond endured weeks of police activity, but were welcoming and understanding of the enormity of the task.
“Finally, I want to pay tribute to Phil’s family and friends in how they have conducted themselves during this difficult time.”

A man, who thought he could get away with killing his friend and disposing of his body across Harlow has been found guilty of murder.

Lee Clarke, 56 of Wedhey, Harlow appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday 8 March, where a jury found him unanimously guilty of murdering Phillip Lewis following a four-week trial.

An investigation was launched on New Years Eve 2022, after Essex Police received a call from a member of the public, who had discovered a suspicious item at Oakwood Pond in Harlow at around 2pm. The area was quickly cordoned off and following attendance from forensic officers, the item was confirmed to be human remains.

A murder investigation within Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate was launched and dozens of detectives and specialist officers were assigned to the case.

Within two days of the discovery, the victim was identified through a DNA match as 59-year-old Phillip Lewis, who was known locally in Harlow as Scottish Phil.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby said: 

“This investigation progressed quickly and despite how tragic this case is, the quick identification of Phil was impressive and crucial in establishing what had happened.
“Once Phil had been identified, detectives were able to carry out enquiries, including phone network analysis to establish when Phil had gone missing and determine when he was killed. Based off this, it’s believed that Phil was killed on 12 November. Further enquiries identified Lee Clarke as the suspect”.

On Wednesday, 4 January, a warrant was executed at Clarke’s home address in Wedhey, Harlow and he was arrested on suspicion of murder. When carrying out searches of the property, officers located a number of items including power tools and blood marks across the property.

On 8 January 2023, Lee Clarke was charged with murder and remanded into custody.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby added:

“The charge against Lee Clarke was a significant development and the speed at which this was authorised demonstrated the hard work that went into this investigation. However, enquiries didn’t stop there, and our officers continue to gather the evidence needed to present this case in court.
“A vital element of these enquiries were the searches of multiple ponds across Harlow, to gather evidence and get justice for Phil, who was a son, a father, a friend, and a well-known man in Harlow.
“These searches were carried out by our Police Search Advisors (POLSA) and our Marine Unit and were supported by specialist agencies, including the Environment Agency. Searching water is a lot more complex than it may seem. It involves ensuring local wildlife is protected before draining the pond and conducting fingertip searches, which cover centimetre by centimetre of an area.”

During these searches, further human remains belonging to Phillip Lewis were located.

The trial of Lee Clarke began on Wednesday, 7 February at Chelmsford Crown Court. During the trial, Clarke attempted to claim that the blood located in his flat, was due to a broken mirror which the victim had helped him clear up.

The trial concluded after four-weeks on Friday, 8 March where a jury found Lee Clarke guilty of murder.

He will appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday, 12 March for sentencing.

Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby said:

“This trial has proven Lee Clarke to be a killer and a coward.
“Despite being arrested over a year ago, Clarke has refused to tell anyone why he killed Phil.
“He has also refused to disclose where he disposed of the rest of Phil’s body, which has added to the suffering inflicted on Phil’s family.
“This was a huge investigation for Essex Police and it would not have been possible without the support from the community in Harlow. Residents in Harlow were patient and compassionate, whilst our officers carried out enquiries. I can confidentially say that without the support from Harlow, assisting our hard-working officers, this result would not have been possible.”