Possessive man jailed for life for murdering wife

Steven Parker, 24, and his 25-year-old wife Jane had been “inseparable” childhood sweethearts and had three children together, but their marriage began to fall apart when he started having affairs, one with her best friend.

Mrs Parker decided to leave her husband after he hit her over the head for being a few minutes late to pick him up from work, and sent him a text saying: “I will always love you but you have hurt me too much”.

Parker, a paint factory worker, responded by carving a heart onto his chest with the initials JP, and wrote a note begging her to stay.

But when she returned to their home in Dragonby Road, Scunthorpe, with her brother-in-law, Chris Wood, to ask him to pack his bags, Parker asked him to “give us a minute”.

He then locked the door and stabbed his wife to death in the dining room after arming himself with two knives.

Mr Wood forced his way in after hearing Mrs Parker scream, and saw Parker kneeling on the floor “hacking” at his wife.

Mr Wood tried to pull a knife from Mrs Parker’s neck and heard her say “I’m dead”, while Parker whimpered “What have I done?”.

He had used an eight-inch stainless steel knife in the attack, and police also recovered a bloodied six-inch knife from the scene.

Mrs Parker was taken to hospital but died after suffering massive internal bleeding at 4.50pm on Wednesday, October 27 last year, less than an hour after the attack.

Hull Crown Court heard the couple had married in October 2006 and had three children – Jessica, eight, Kaitlyn, five, and Liam, four – but Parker had begun to ignore his young family and preferred to play computer games.

He also resented his wife’s plans to launch her own business after she had recently passed a massage and reflexology course.

Parker had admitted manslaughter but denied murder. However, a jury took less than an hour to convict him of the more serious charge and he must serve at least 17 years before he can be considered for release.

Jailing Parker, Judge Michael Mettyear told him: “She was a beautiful, popular and conscientious mother and was optimistic about her and her children’s future. Her success had brought her new confidence and you resented these changes.

“I’m satisfied that you killed your wife because of the realisation she was determined to leave you and start a new life. You inflicted numerous blows with either one or two knives. Bravely, she tried to fight you off but to no avail.”

The judge praised Mr Wood for attempting to save Mrs Parker. Mr Wood is now bringing the Parkers’ children up with his wife Leeann and their own four children.

Speaking outside court, Mrs Parker’s mother Caron Urch said: “It’s the kids who have been worst affected by this; they have lost both their parents. We feel we have finally got justice for Jane but no sentence will ever bring her back. We as a family now have a sense of closure but will never forget the loss in such tragic circumstances.”