Michael Thompson, 56, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years for the rape and murder of his estranged wife, Kimberley Thompson, 43, at Nottingham Crown Court. A jury unanimously convicted him of rape, murder, and two counts of perverting the course of justice after he staged the scene to suggest she had taken her own life.
Details of the Crime
The court heard that Thompson, of Pinewood Road, Northampton, subjected Ms Thompson to prolonged domestic abuse, including controlling and coercive behaviour and physical violence. He had amassed hundreds of hours of recordings of her before suffocating her at their Northampton home in the early hours of 9th August last year.
Thompson failed to appear for his sentencing after his defence barrister, Jonas Hankin KC, informed the judge that he was “voluntarily absent.” Throughout the seven-week trial, Thompson claimed he and Ms Thompson had engaged in consensual intercourse before he discovered her unresponsive, surrounded by tablets and alcohol bottles. However, a post-mortem examination found no alcohol in her system, with only negligible levels of caffeine, paracetamol, and codeine detected.
Background and Impact
Thompson and Ms Thompson had been married for 19 years and had two children together. They had separated, and divorce proceedings were ongoing at the time of her death. Judge Nirmal Shant KC remarked during sentencing: “You have shown no remorse. Throughout the course of the trial you sat in the dock shaking your head and making audible noises of dissent. And in the ultimate act of cowardice and contempt, you have refused to come into court to hear from the family of the grief you have caused.”
