Woman who stabbed 'controlling' partner in neck jailed

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48967292

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A woman who killed her "controlling" partner by stabbing him in the neck while he slept in bed has been jailed.

Alex Glanfield-Collis, 29, used a hunting knife to kill John Maclean, 35, at their east London home shortly after he had threatened her with the weapon.

Judge Richard Marks QC said previous voice messages from Mr Maclean to her had been "chilling to listen to".

Glanfield-Collis, of Tower Hamlets, was jailed for seven years after being convicted of manslaughter.

She was cleared of murder at a retrial, after a previous jury was unable to reach any verdict.

The Old Bailey heard before the killing Glanfield-Collis had given up her job because of the long commute, meaning she spent more time at the couple's home.

Judge Marks said this meant she was "even more at his beck and call" and the pair were "smoking ridiculously large amounts of cannabis".

He told the court that in the months leading up to the 12 April 2018 killing, Mr Maclean had started to "exert pressure" on his partner's neck during sex.

He also suggested Glanfield-Collis should "become involved in prostitution", said the judge, who remarked he was "satisfied you felt constrained and forced to go along with it", having two encounters.

'Killed my boyfriend'

Judge Marks said WhatsApp messages left for Glanfield-Collis by Mr Maclean which were played to the court were "abusive" and "gave an insight into the sort of person he was, at least at times".

He labelled Mr Maclean as "undoubtedly demanding, self-centred, domineering and controlling", but added there had been "an element of exaggeration" of Glanfield-Collis' account of his conduct.

After "waving" the 19.5cm (7.7in) hunting knife at her on the morning of the killing, Mr Maclean fell back to sleep, at which point Glanfield-Collis stabbed him once in the neck.

She later called 999 and admitted "I just killed my boyfriend".

In a victim impact statement, Mr Maclean's mother Allison Whitton said her son was "not perfect but did not deserve to be killed".

Sentencing her, Judge Marks said he saw "remorse which I accept as genuine".