A MAN yesterday pleaded guilty to the murder of a young mother in a Suffolk town.Ainsley Rush, of Saxon Road, Pakefield, near Lowestoft, killed his former partner on March 18.

A MAN yesterday pleaded guilty to the murder of a young mother in a Suffolk town.

Ainsley Rush, of Saxon Road, Pakefield, near Lowestoft, killed his former partner on March 18.

Rush, 25, admitted the crime at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday and will be sentenced on December 18.

Miss Spurgeon, 20, who had a two-year-old daughter, was found dead at her home, in North Field Close, Oulton, near Lowestoft, just before midnight on March 18.

Police officers attended the address after concerns were raised about her welfare.

Speaking after yesterday's conviction, Detective Inspector Steve Mattin said: “We are pleased he has pleaded guilty and our sympathies are with Sarah Spurgeon's family.

“I would also like to thank my team for their hard work on this case.”

Miss Spurgeon's mother, Sheila, has been looking after her grandchild since the murder.

Speaking after her funeral, in July, Sheila described her daughter as her best friend and said they never spent a day apart.

She said: “It's unbelievable how much we miss her. If I was down, she would make me happy - she's the first thought I have in the morning and the last I have at night.

“Sarah was always a happy girl and she had a fantastic smile there was nobody who did not like or love her.”

She added: “Faith (Sarah's daughter) has a picture of her mum in her room and she always says 'hello' and 'goodnight' when she wakes up or goes to sleep.

“At the moment, she thinks mummy is shopping in the sky.”

Mrs Spurgeon, a former Lothingland Middle School and Benjamin Britten High School pupil, ran for Suffolk at cross country and played football and netball.

She had a keen interest in music and loved shopping. The former Miss Lowestoft entrant in 2003 had had trained at college in beauty therapy.