David Barraclough, 45, has been jailed for life at Leeds Crown Court after murdering his wife Carolann, 37, with a claw hammer and placing her body in a freezer while their children were inside the house. He was ordered to serve at least 21-and-a-half years.
Horrifying video showed the moment Barraclough calmly walked into Normanton Police Station, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on March 5, asking to speak to someone about a "very serious" "private matter." A female secretary behind the counter asked "what is it regarding?" to which he responded, "I have killed my wife". The shocked secretary then repeated what Barraclough told her before taking details like his name and asking him to take a seat in the waiting area.
Attack and aftermath
Other footage showed the last time Carolann, 37, was seen alive on February 19, walking into their home in Horbury, Wakefield, the day before she was killed. Barraclough refused to attend his own sentencing on October 9, telling his lawyers he was "sick of all the legal arguments".
Leeds Crown Court heard how Barraclough attacked the mum-of-three with a claw hammer as she lay in bed. Their children were inside the house at the time of the attack. He struck her in the head before binding her wrists, knees and ankles, placing a plastic bag over her head and sealing it with tape. He went on to empty a chest freezer in the downstairs utility room, moved its contents into the fridge and dumped Carolann's body inside.
She was wrapped in a duvet cover, with her hands and ankles encased in tape and a black bin liner secured around her head and neck. Pathology evidence showed Carolann suffered five separate wounds to her head, including a large, deep injury which exposed her skull.
Deception and cover-up
Prosecutor Andrew Haslam KC said: "She could only have survived for a short time while under attack." Barraclough murdered Carolann on February 20 before lying to their kids - telling them she had gone to hospital and "might be there for a while but might not be back".
A family statement said: "For two weeks, [the children] were told their mum was in hospital when she was in their own home with them. That is unimaginable for any child to process." Judge Andrew Stubbs KC said Barraclough even allowed Carolann's daughter to exchange messages with her mother's phone believing she was speaking to her - when it was actually him.
After the murder, Barraclough tried to cover his tracks, sending a message from Carolann's phone to a friend claiming she was unwell. He 'factory reset' her phone and deleted conversations with her from his own device. He also used Carolann's bank card to withdraw hundreds of pounds and spent weeks searching for escort services, joining dating apps and sending explicit messages to other women while his wife's body remained in the freezer.
Sentencing
Mr Haslam said Barraclough "plainly had a sexual motive". By the day he handed himself in, just 11p remained in the couple's joint account and Barraclough had only 4p in his own. On March 5, Barraclough walked into a police station and told officers he had tried to take his own life - and had killed his wife. The court heard he told them: "I should not have snapped, I should not have fought back. I have finally snapped back and look what I have done."
Police found two letters in his car, one addressed to family and another to police, in which he claimed he had been a victim of domestic abuse for three years. Mr Haslam described the claims as "self-serving lies". He said: "The defendant appeared to try and make himself look like a victim when that could not be further from the truth."
The prosecution said Carolann had previously confided in friends about Barraclough's behaviour, including that he controlled her money, became nasty after drinking and had sexually assaulted her. Barraclough has previous convictions, including for criminal damage in 2019 after damaging a car belonging to an ex-wife amid the breakdown of their relationship.
Carolann's sister Sarah Rowley described her in a statement as "the bright light of our family". She said: "Her children were the centre of her world. She loved being a mum. The void of her absence is agonisingly loud." She added that her children are now "completely traumatised". The family suffered another blow when Carolann's father, David Rowley, died from a heart attack on September 17. Sarah said: "The pain of losing Carolann and our father David will be with us every minute of every day of our lives."
Barraclough pleaded guilty to murder at Leeds Crown Court on October 6 after previously denying the charge. Defending, Sean Larkin KC told the court: "This was as a result of a spur of the moment argument between the two of them in which he fully accepts that he killed her with the hammer." Sentencing him in his absence, Judge Stubbs said: "The defendant's behaviour displayed a callous disregard for his wife, her children, his children and her friends." He added that Barraclough had "span a web of lies and deceit" after the killing. The judge commended the police officers who investigated the murder for their work "in very difficult and upsetting circumstances". Barraclough was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 21-and-a-half years.
