Kayleigh Smart, 40, was jailed for life with a minimum term of eight years on Tuesday for the manslaughter of Liam Collier, 34, in Haydock. Smart admitted killing Mr Collier during a schizophrenic episode, having previously threatened neighbours with knives.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Smart and Mr Collier exchanged "flirty" messages on Facebook and shared a 50-minute video call before the victim paid for her taxi to his flat on Sherlock Avenue in Haydock. They drank vodka together before she launched a fatal attack, delivering a series of blows with a knife before Mr Collier fell from a first-floor window.
Attack and aftermath
Smart disposed of the knife and initially told police her former partner was the perpetrator, alleging Mr Collier had drugged her. She later changed her account and claimed she had armed herself for her own protection as she believed she was being "set up".
Smart was initially charged with murder but later admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The Crown Prosecution Service accepted the plea after medical experts found she had a "grossly distorted" perception of reality at the time of the attack.
The court heard that, at the time of the incident, Smart had recently separated from her ex-boyfriend and was living in supported accommodation for women but had not been taking her medication for paranoid schizophrenia. She and Mr Collier began messaging on May 2 last year before sharing a video call.
Fatal assault
Smart arrived at Mr Collier's home in a taxi arranged by him shortly before 9pm with her belongings packed in bags. He gave her vodka upon her arrival before going to the shop to buy another bottle. Smart launched into her fatal assault at around 10.30pm, when muffled shouts were heard from the flat before Mr Collier opened his window and called for help.
Andrew Thomas KC, prosecuting, told the court: "He was shouting for help and saying he was being stabbed. He eventually fell from the window. A thud can be heard as he strikes the ground." Mr Collier had earlier dialled 999 pleading for help while begging Smart to stop. He said in the call: "I'm getting stabbed. F*** off. Help me, please. I've done nothing wrong. Please, I am getting stabbed."
Officers found Mr Collier unconscious in the front garden with multiple stab wounds. Despite 45 minutes of medical intervention, he was confirmed dead at 11.30pm. A post-mortem found he had sustained 11 stab wounds, with the cause of death recorded as injuries to the chest.
Family impact
Mr Collier's mother, Sonya Whitfield, read a statement to the court, saying: "That night changed my life forever. No mum should have to hear those words about their child. What hurt so much was how vulnerable Liam was. He deserved to be safe in his own home. I go past his flat and I see that window open and that tent in the garden. That will haunt me forever."
His sister Amy Collier added: "I'm not the person that I was before Liam was taken from us. There is a constant sense of sadness I carry with me. I have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life. His life didn't end with his murder. It changed me and my family and has taken away a future we should have shared with him."
Liam's father, Stuart Collier, said in a statement: "We would give anything to hear his voice again, see his smile and see him walk through the door. His life cannot be replaced, and the space left in our family cannot be filled. We will carry Liam in our hearts for the rest of our lives but will always wish he was here with us."
Previous threats
Merseyside Police never found the weapon used in the attack, with Smart said to have either cleaned the knife to "disguise it" or thrown it from the flat into the overgrown garden. Upon arrest, she first blamed her former partner for the assault and claimed he had followed her to the address before carrying out the stabbing.
Under interview, Smart alleged Mr Collier had "drugged" her with the vodka. She was charged with murder on May 4 2025 and remanded in custody at HMP Styal. Smart continued to refuse medication and reported delusional symptoms, including that an officer was the devil and the healthcare team were trying to poison her. She was admitted to Guild Lodge, a secure mental health hospital in Preston, on July 9 and was deemed unfit to enter a plea to the murder count.
Smart later said she believed people at her supported living accommodation were trying to poison her and her "life was broadcast on a TV channel and there are cameras watching". She changed her account by saying she had armed herself with a knife because she "convinced herself that [Mr Collier] was going to attack her and so started stabbing him".
Mr Thomas said of Smart's 2019 conviction for possession of a bladed article: "It was an incident in 2018. Police were called to the Old Post Office in Sefton in mid-afternoon. It was in a public area, described as a place where drinkers gather. Ms Smart was involved in an altercation with a male which attracted a crowd. She was armed with a kitchen knife and was said to have been gesticulating towards the male with the knife. When confronted by police she put the knife down."
Of her 2024 conviction for harassment, Mr Thomas said: "It was an ongoing neighbour dispute in November and December of 2022. There were repeated incidents reflected in the charge of harassment. The neighbour complained that, on three occasions, a knife was used to threaten him, including, on one occasion, swinging the knife at his head or face. That resulted in police attending on the 22nd of December 2022. By the time police arrived, Ms Smart was back inside her flat. She was in the living room with a kitchen knife alongside her. In the presence of the police, Ms Smart made threats towards the neighbour, including saying 'you're getting murdered, you're getting stabbed'."
An incident in 2015, when Smart reportedly held a knife to her boyfriend's throat, was also reported to mental health services. She was first detained under the Mental Health Act in 2014 due to borderline personality disorder, followed by at least two other periods of compulsory detention between 2016 and 2018 due to "drug psychoses".
Mr Thomas said Smart had a history of misusing alcohol and drugs, including opioids, cocaine, stimulants and cannabis, and had been suffering from psychotic episodes since around 2015. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in July 2023 and began treatment with anti-psychotic medication. Smart spent time at Guild Lodge as a voluntary patient until August 2024. Once released, she continued treatment in the community but, in early 2025, stopped attending appointments and taking medication and later admitted drinking a litre of vodka each day.
Sentence
Michael Hayton KC, defending, said on Smart's behalf: "The court faces a difficult exercise. The level of violence was extreme, an extended family has lost someone they dearly cared for and that person is blameless. He was doing a kind act, and he was repaid in the most brutal of ways. The defendant offers her profound apologies and regret. She is someone whose mental health is at the heart of it."
Appearing via video link to Guild Lodge, Smart was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of eight years. She was also given a Section 45A hospital order, meaning she will remain in the psychiatric unit until deemed fit for discharge from treatment, at which stage she will be transferred to prison.
Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC told her: "I am entirely satisfied the crown's decision is a proper one and taken after only very careful consideration of the evidence, including extensive psychiatric evidence. In my judgement, at the time you killed Liam Collier, the level of responsibility that you retained is best described as medium."
He noted aggravating factors: the victim was particularly vulnerable due to disability, the offence involved the use of a weapon, the victim was caused significant mental and physical suffering before he died, the offence was committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and Smart had relevant previous convictions. He added: "Stripped of any mental health explanation, this was simply the horrifying and completely unprovoked killing with a knife of an inherently vulnerable young man. The offence could scarcely be more serious. Therefore, I must impose a sentence of life imprisonment."
Judge Cummings said: "What this means is that you will be detained in hospital for as long as necessary for treatment purposes. It is possible that you may never be released from hospital. If you are released, you will be transferred to prison. It will be then for the Parole Board to consider whether and when you are suitable to be considered for release into the community."
