Cody Auckland, 24, filed the objection during a hearing in Plymouth court on Tuesday. He appeared on the dock dressed in jeans and a gray sweater and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and to plead guilty to killing the teenager on a date between 19 and 23 November 2021. Prosecutioner Richard Posner called for the sentence to be delayed as he awaited further information from a neurologist report that he hoped to be able to serve in court before the end of the month. He said that when he received it, he would be ready to issue a full condemnation note detailing the facts of the murder. Ray Tully QC, for Ackland, said he would provide the court with a psychiatric report for the accused before the sentencing hearing. Judge Robert Linford warned Auckland he would be sentenced to life in prison as he listed the case for sentencing on May 19, adding: “The only issue will be the minimum sentence.” Mrs. McLeod’s mother, father and brother were sitting in the public gallery, while the victim’s friends and extended family were watching the process in a separate courtroom via video link. Auckland, 24, has said he will be sentenced to life in prison (Devon and Cornwall Police) The victim’s mother Donna McLeod was in tears throughout the brief hearing. The judge held Auckland, from Radcliffe Close, Southway, Plymouth, to appear in court again next month for sentencing. He also thanked the audience for the “remarkable way you behaved once again during the process”. Mrs. McLeod was last seen waiting at a bus stop on Bampton Road near her home in the Plymouth suburb of Leigham on the night of Saturday, November 20, 2021, as she headed to town to meet friends. Her body was discovered three days later near a beach in Bovisand, South Hams, about seven miles away. Police said there was “no known connection” between Ms McLeod and Ackland. Bobbi-Anne was last seen waiting at a bus stop near her home in Leigham, Plymouth, on her way to meet friends (Devon and Cornwall Police) No cause of death was reported for the teen during an investigation last year. Mrs. McLeod’s grieving mother thanked the Leigham community for their support as hundreds attended a vigil at the site where the student was last seen alive in November. “Thank you for doing everything you can to try to find her and bring our baby home,” he said. Lee’s older brother, who begged people to help him find his abducted sister, paid a moving tribute after police found a body three days after her disappearance. Sharing on Facebook a photo of the brothers in elementary school uniform, he wrote: “Until we meet again sis. I love you. “You did not deserve this beautiful and talented girl and to have you as my little sister, the adventure and the journey we had will always be valuable. “Now rest.” Investigators at the scene of the crime on Sheepstor Road in Plymouth near the bus stop where Bobbi-Anne McLeod disappeared (Ben Birchall / PA) Ackland was the lead guitarist on the Plymouth-based indie band Rakuda, which released its first EP in August last year. The other Rakuda members announced in November that they would be disbanding “with immediate effect”, but weeks later said they would take a “short break from the music scene” with the aim of reforming in the spring of 2022. Speaking after the court hearing on Tuesday, Alison Hernandez, Devon and Cornwall police officer and crime commissioner, said: “I can not even imagine the pain that Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family and friends have been going through in recent months. . “Although there is no justice that can bring Bobby-An back, I’m glad that this case will be resolved quickly and I really hope the family gets the answers they need to close this horrific incident. “I want to thank the police for their hard work in bringing Cody Auckland to justice. “I would also like to thank the Plymouth community for their courage, empathy and incredible support during this dark time for the city.” Nikki Leaper, assistant chief of police in Devon and Cornwall, added: “Our thoughts are with the McLeod family and those close to Bobbi-Anne who have been so severely deprived of a daughter, a sister and a girlfriend.” Additional report from the Press Association
