Man found guilty of raping and murdering 20-year-old Keeley Bunker

A Tamworth man has been found guilty of raping and murdering 20-year-old Keeley Bunker as they walked home following a night out to celebrate her birthday.

Wesley Streete, 20, of St Austell Close, Tamworth, was convicted by a jury at Stafford Crown Court today (5 August) of the rape and murder of 20-year-old Keeley at a park in Tamworth on 19 September 2019.

Keeley died from strangulation and her body was found partially hidden under branches in a pool near Wigginton Park.

The court heard that Keeley and her friend had gone to a concert by the rapper Aitch at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on 18 September to celebrate Keeley’s 20th birthday, which was 12 days earlier. They arranged to meet Streete at New Street Station in Birmingham after the concert. The three went to a nightclub and after leaving at 2.40am got a taxi back to Tamworth.

Keeley was last seen walking towards her house with Streete. The next day, she didn’t go to a job interview she had been due to attend. Her father reported her missing to police.

Keeley Bunker

Streete was identified as the last person to have seen Keeley alive. He gave officers and Keeley’s family a detailed account of the route they walked and said they had parted company at a phone box at the junction of Masefield Drive and Wordsworth Avenue. He even showed officers the route on a drive around during the search for Keeley.

Keeley’s body was found at 9pm that night lying face down in a pool near the edge of Wigginton Park.

When Streete was arrested a couple of hours later, he had scratches on his face.

The jury found Streete guilty after hearing about GPS, DNA and CCTV evidence which showed Streete’s version of events was a lie.

Expert analysis of his mobile phone showed that he did not make his way to the telephone box and then go home. Instead, he went away from his home and into Wigginton Park. CCTV captured Keeley and Streete by Tamworth Rugby Club at 4.23am. Streete’s mobile phone was in the area where Keeley’s body was found for about an hour. GPS data showed that the phone was at that location seven times that day.

Keeley’s rucksack was found a short distance away from Tamworth Rugby Club. Streete’s bank card was found between the rugby club and where Keeley’s body was found. Streete’s jacket, also found in the park, was heavily stained on the lower parts of both sleeves with the type of make-up which Keeley was wearing.

Streete’s DNA was found during a post-mortem examination of Keeley, which led to the rape charge.

Streete was also found guilty of five further sexual offences – two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. These offences took place in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The court heard details of sexual offences brought independently by three young women. In 2015, he raped and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl, in 2017, he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl and in 2019, he raped a 20-year-old woman.

A further sexual offence charge was discounted.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Cheryl Hannan of the force’s Major Investigations Department, said: “I welcome today’s verdict and hope that it will bring some comfort to Keeley’s family and friends.

“Throughout the police investigation and this trial, the three women who were raped and sexually assaulted by Streete have shown bravery.

“Keeley’s death shocked everyone in the town and beyond and I would like to thank the local community of Tamworth who helped Keeley’s family and the police investigation.”

Streete will be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Friday 7 August.

Wesley Streete

UPDATE: On Friday (7 August) Wesley Streete was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 30 years to be served.