Tributes paid to murder victim Kirstie Ellis as Yorkshire man jailed for life

Kirstie Ellis, aged 35, was found dead at her address in Stanhall Mews, Stanningley, on March 25 this year – nearly eight weeks after she was killed.

The discovery was made by officers after Tony Brooks was arrested in the early hours of that day on suspicion of a burglary in Wakefield earlier in the month.

Kirstie and Brooks had been in a relationship for several months.

After being interviewed in relation to the burglary, he made a shock revelation to officers that he knew about a murder committed by a drug dealer and that there was a body at an address in Leeds.

When officers forced entry to the property, they found Kirstie’s body in the bath hidden under a blanket.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed she had been strangled.

A murder investigation was launched, led by detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.

From enquiries, it was established that Kirstie was likely to have been killed at the address on February 1.

Brooks, who had begun a relationship with Kirstie in December, was forensically linked to the scene and was shown to have sold a number of her possessions taken from her home in the period following her death.

Her bank card and PIN number were found during a search of an address Brooks had been staying at in Castleford.

He was charged her murder on March 28 and appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court the following day and was remanded in custody to appear at Leeds Crown Court the next day.

He initially pleaded guilty to her manslaughter at hearing in April but not guilty to the murder.

He then changed his plea to guilty to the murder when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court on October 3.

Brooks, aged 36, of Agbrigg Road, Wakefield, was sentenced on Thursday and received a life term with a minimum of 24 years and 9 months.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Helen Steele said: “Brooks is a callous and nasty individual whose brutal actions robbed Kirstie of her life and have left her family absolutely devastated.

“He displayed a complete disregard for her in the weeks that followed her murder, as she lay undiscovered while he sold off items of her property taken from the address.

“We conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation into Kirstie’s death which built up a strong evidential picture of Brooks’ involvement and saw him admit his guilt without her family having to endure the added emotional strain that a trial inevitably brings.

“While nothing can ever undo the pain that Brooks’ actions have caused them, we hope Kirstie’s family can take some small measure of comfort from knowing he has now been held responsible and sent to prison.”

In a statement from Kirstie’s parents, Vicky and John, and her family they said: “We are extremely grateful and give our thanks to all the people who have made this day possible and have brought some sense of justice being served on behalf of our daughter Kirstie.

“We would like to thank all the court staff for ensuring the smooth running of the proceedings, the prosecuting KC and his staff for their roles and the Judge for showing consideration for all the people who attended court today.

“Most importantly, we would like to thank West Yorkshire Police for their hard work and dedication to the case, and for ultimately bringing Kirstie’s murderer to sentencing with the evidence they collected.

“We extend our thanks to the police officers who worked closely with the family for their care and attention to detail, and for keeping us informed of developments in the case as best as they possibly could. They have been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and we could not have made it through any of this without them.

“The entire ordeal has been a living nightmare for the family, and we’d like to praise the police for their kindness and understanding. They have done a brilliant job under difficult circumstances, and now hopefully the public, and especially women, can breathe a huge sigh of relief that our communities are now safer with this murderer no longer roaming our streets.“Our daughter Kirstie was a beacon of light to all those who were fortunate enough to have known her and who wanted to raise the awareness of domestic abuse after suffering through it herself.“The problem of abuse has never gone away but is there hidden in plain sight behind closed doors, and now we unfortunately have lost our precious daughter and baby girl Kirstie to it.

“We remember Kirstie as a vibrant soul, Kirstie loved a drink, to dance and sing the night away. Kirstie's light will now forever shine bright in our family, among our friends and in all those who knew Kirstie's happiness. She will always be remembered for her sense of fun and joy, which has guided us through these troubling times.“Finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our friends and family for their support in attending court, as well as those who couldn’t make it. “Without you, we could not have made it through these horrendous times. Also, to all the people who provided evidence and statements against Brooks, without this we wouldn’t have been able to get the justice that we have got for our lovely Kirstie.

“You have no idea what it means to us as a family to have so much support and care. Although we will never be able to fully move on from this, we are now able to begin picking up the pieces of our lives, and make sure Kirstie lives on to be remembered as the happy, loving and caring woman that she was, with the hope she is now resting peacefully as she deserves.”