Atkinson, 25, will serve 16 years and two months of the sentence, meaning he will be 40-years-old before he is released on licence. Poppy, 24, originally from Frome in Somerset, was described in a series of emotional statements in court as "prodigiously-gifted" and a "vibrant" personality, with the attack which ended her life branded "savage" and "senseless". -> Joe Atkinson sentenced to life with minimum of 15 years in prison for murder of Poppy Devey Waterhouse The court heard this morning how the couple had been together for three years after meeting at Nottingham University, but had recently split and were continuing to live in the same flat in Richmond Hill. Here, we take a look at Poppy's life, and the events leading up to Atkinson's despicable crime.