A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of 18-year-old Ellen Higginbottom, as reported bythe Guardian.

Mark Buckley, 51, attacked Ellen Higginbottom, stabbing her repeatedly in the neck, before taking her laptop and mobile phone and then leaving her for dead near a nature reserve in England.

Prosecutor Neil Fryman spoke to the court after Buckley entered his guilty plea.

There was a sexual motivation for this offense and also it was pre-meditated, he said.

In addition to Buckley, three other people have been charged with crimes related to Higginbottoms murder.Dean Speakman, 30, and his partner Vicki Calland, 30, each pleaded guilty last month to a single charge of perverting the course of justice and handling stolen goods. They handled the 18-year-olds laptop and phone after receiving knowledge that she had been murdered, according to Liverpool Echo.

The third person,David Steele, 47, faces similar charges but will not face a judge until October 6.

As previously reported by CrimeOnline, Higginbottom went missing in June after failing to come home from studying. After a thorough search, which included both law enforcement and members of the small community of Wigan, her body was discovered in a nature reserve. An autopsy later revealed that she died from multiple wounds to the neck. Her family remembers the 18-year-old for her beauty, love and kindness.

Her grieving boyfriend, Ryan Warren, posted a tribute on Facebook, as reported by The Sun.

Ellen, I loved you, we all loved you, sleep well and may we meet again. I am lost for words and lost without you, I miss you so much right now but I am humbled by the fact that I know you will be looking down on us all, he wrote. Thank you for everything nugget, love from your chicken.

Buckley will face sentencing next week, according to his defense attorney.

[Featured Image: Twitter]

Original post:
Missing teen's body found, man admits 'sexual motivation' for killing her [UPDATE] - CrimeOnline