Jealous boyfriend, 35, jailed for strangling partner, 26, with dressing gown cord & stabbing her in drug-fuelled rage
A JEALOUS boyfriend brutally murdered his partner moments after having sex with her because he thought she had cheated on him, a court has heard.
Drink and drug-fuelled Carl Chadwick, 35, was jailed for life after strangling Sarah Keith, 26, with a dressing gown cord and stabbing her in the heart.
Leeds Crown Court today heard he launched the savage assault as revenge because he thought Ms Keith had cheated on him while he was in prison.
It was not confirmed in court whether this was the case or not.
Chadwick armed himself with the dressing gown cord before having sex with his partner, it was heard.
Afterwards he positioned himself behind Ms Keith and, as she got to her feet, he "quickly" put the cord behind her neck and strangled her.
To ensure she was dead, he then got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her five times in the heart.
After the horror attack, it was heard that Chadwick covered her body with a curtain, watched porn and took cocaine.
The killer intended to flee but ended up wandering Leeds for a number of hours the next day before handing himself into West Yorkshire Police.
Chadwick, who admits murder, appeared in the dock at Leeds Crown Court this morning, ahead of his sentencing later in the day.
Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said he has a long-standing history of drug and alcohol misuse and became convinced that Ms Keith had been unfaithful to him.
The prosecutor said: "On this basis, he developed a settled intention to kill her, thinking about it, on his own account, 'several times a week.'
"Sarah was, of course, oblivious to this and their relationship continued."
SICKENING ATTACK
The court heard how the murder took place after the couple had been out drinking at a pub in Leeds on April 12 this year.
They continued drinking at a friend's house after closing time before going to Ms Keith's flat at around 1am.
The defendant said he had six or seven pints and also bought a double whisky every time he went to the bar at the pub.
Mr Sharp said the couple were both "well in drink" by that time and Chadwick had taken cocaine.
He said: "Once home, and after the defendant had viewed some pornographic material on his phone, the defendant instigated sexual intercourse with Sarah."
He positioned himself so he was behind Sarah, in a position where she could not see what he was about to do.
Jonathan Sharp
The court heard they moved from the bedroom to the living room where Chadwick put a duvet down on the floor.
Mr Sharp continued: "As they made this move the defendant took her dressing gown cord and hid it behind his back, saying to himself 'I'm going to do this', i.e. kill her.
"He positioned himself so he was behind Sarah, in a position where she could not see what he was about to do."
The fatal attack took place after they had sex.
Mr Sharp said: "As Sarah got up - she did not have good balance and the defendant was aware of this - he quickly put the cord around her neck and began strangling her.
"The absence of defensive injuries on her shows that she was taken completely off her guard and was unable to put up any resistance.
"He decided to ensure her death by getting a knife from the kitchen and stabbing her to the heart five times.
"The condition of the body post mortem indicated that she was still alive when he did this."
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service - available every day from 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Mr Sharp said Chadwick had the intention of running away to Blackpool.
He added: "However, after some aimless wandering around the centre of Leeds, he then handed himself in at Elland Road shortly after 3pm.
"He made comprehensive admissions to desk staff and later in formal interview.
"The police went to the flat and their observations confirmed the accuracy of his admissions."
Following his arrest, Chadwick pleaded guilty to murder but he denies that there is a sexual motive to the killing.
Chadwick gave evidence before the court on Wednesday.
'I'M SORRY'
He said: "I am really sorry for what happened.
"I did love Sarah no matter what people heard or see in this court.
"She did a lot for me and so did her family.
"I just want to express that I am deeply sorry for what I have done."
Chadwick and Ms Keith had been in a relationship for four years, the court heard.
During that time Chadwick and been controlling and violent towards her.
In a heart-breaking victim impact statement, Sarah's dad Andrew Keith said their family were left 'broken' following the brutal murder.
Mr Keith said Sarah's daughter Emma was unable to understand what happened and still asked if she was going to get better.
In the statement, read to the court by prosecutor Jonathan Sharp, Mr Keith told Chadwick: "We thought you were a nice bloke.
"Over the time you spent with our daughter the truth came out.
"We are heartbroken and devastated that our daughter was taken from us in the way that she was.
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"We are all so lost without Sarah and are struggling without her being with us.
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"She was loved and will be missed by her daughter, family and friends."
Chadwick was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in jail.