Former soldier was brutally killed by partner who was on bail, inquest told

An Afghanistan veteran died after she was stabbed in the neck with a sword, strangled and battered with a broken bottle by her partner who was on bail at the time following a previous attack, an inquest has heard.

Former soldier and Army reservist Amy-Leanne Stringfellow, 26, died from multiple injuries at the home of her partner Terence Papworth, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in June 2020.

Doncaster Coroner's Court heard on Monday how 45-year-old Papworth - who died in prison last year while on remand charged with murder - was on bail after appearing in court charged with assaulting the mother-of-one.

A coroner was told how he was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill and assaulting Miss Stringfellow in early May following an incident with her young daughter present.

He was charged after breaching his police bail and was bailed again by magistrates to appear in court again in July, 2020.

The bail conditions included having no contact with his partner but the court heard how they continued to see each other.

Miss Stringfellow's family told the court Papworth had threatened her with a gun.

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation looking at the involvement of the police in the run-up to Miss Stringfellow's death, is ongoing, the inquest heard.

But the two-hour hearing was told how Miss Stringfellow appears to have gone willingly to builder Papworth's home on June 5 2020, despite telling her family she was going away to Bridlington for the weekend with a former Army friend.

Many of her family were in tears as home office pathologist Charles Wilson outlined a horrific catalogue of injuries inflicted on her in the house that evening, which he described as a "sustained, forceful multi-modal assault".

Dr Wilson said there was large cut to her neck consistent with being inflicted by one of the swords found close by.

But he said she suffered multiple other injuries inflicted by a broken vodka bottle, possible punching, as well as her being strangled.

Miss Stringfellow's mother, Jacqueline Fareham, said in statement read to the inquest that her daughter  had wanted to be in the Army since she was 10 years old and described how she "was so proud of what Amy-Leanne had become" both as a soldier and a mother.

Ms Fareham said her daughter was "fearless and self-assured".

She said her daughter left the military after developing post-natal depression following the birth of her daughter, retraining as a personal trainer and becoming a successful bodybuilder.

Ms Fareham said that she felt her daughter was "slipping away" as she became much more distant from her family after she met Papworth shortly after splitting from the father of her child.

She described how she became more and more concerned for her daughter as the relationship developed and, at one point, Papworth threatened Miss Stringfellow with a gun.

Dc Mark Briggs, of South Yorkshire Police, told the inquest that Papworth left his home after killing Miss Stringfellow late on June 5 and admitted what he did to a number of people before handing himself in to police that night.

Mr Briggs said Papworth told one person: "I just stood there and let the life drain out of her."

Assistant coroner Louise Slater recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.

The coroner explained that she had decided to hold the inquest before the IOPC had published its conclusions because she did not feel that this investigation would be relevant to what she had to determine.

Miss Slater said Miss Stringfellow's family had agreed with this course of action.

Papworth died in Leeds Prison in November 2020. South Yorkshire Police have said they are not looking for anyone else in relation to Miss Stringfellow's death.