Publication date:
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 19 years after pleading guilty to the murder of Natasha Melendez (32) in Lisburn in 2020. She had been attacked on 22 March 2020 and died afterwards in hospital.
John David Scott (36) admitted the murder of Ms Melendez at Belfast Crown Court in June 2024.
Head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit Catherine Kierans said: “Natasha Melendez died in hospital on 1 April 2020, 10 days after Scott brutally attacked her in her own home, somewhere she should have been safe from harm.
“The prosecution team in the PPS Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who had carried out a full investigation, to bring Scott before the court and build a robust case against him, resulting in the guilty plea. He has now been held accountable for the callous and senseless murder of Ms Melendez, who was the mother of four children.
Ms Kierans continued: “Domestic abuse of any kind is never acceptable and this case shows it can have the worst possible outcome. I would appeal to anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse to please reach out and report it to police.
“We understand that reporting domestic abuse can feel daunting. We want to assure victims that we work with police to ensure victims are treated with sensitivity, fairness and empathy. We in the PPS will consider every case we receive carefully and will not hesitate to prosecute where we have the evidence to do so.”
Notes to editors:
More information on how we handle cases involving domestic abuse can be found on our website The PPS Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Abuse can be found here
There is more information about how to report domestic abuse to police, and details of support organisations, on the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s website.
Some support organisations for victims:
Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline: The Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline can be contacted free of charge, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call: 0808 802 1414. Email: help@dsahelpline.org. www.dsahelpline.org
Victim Support NI. Call: 028 90243133. Email: info@victimsupportni.org.uk www.victimsupportni.com
NSPCC: Call: 0808 800 5000. For Childline: Call 08001111 Email: help@nspcc.org.uk www.nspcc.org.uk
Women’s Aid Federation NI: Call: 028 9024 9041 Email: info@womensaidni.org www.womensaidni.org