Gracie Spinks: Inquest told woman was stabbed by stalker ex-colleague Michael Sellars

A young woman found dead in the field where she tended her horse is believed to have been attacked by an ex-colleague who had been obsessively stalking her, an inquest has heard.

Gracie Spinks, 23, suffered 10 stab wounds and died on the morning of 18 June 2021 at Duckmanton, near Chesterfield in Derbyshire, where her horse was stabled.

The body of her ex-colleague, 35-year-old Michael Sellars, was found just 150m away later the same morning with a suicide note saying he "could not deal with all of her lies".

Matthew Kewley, Assistant Coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, said the note was one of "various pieces of evidence" that Sellars had killed Ms Spinks and then taken his own life.

The inquest heard how Sellars became “obsessed” with Ms Spinks when she had refused to pursue a romantic relationship with him.

She had reported him to both their employer Xbite and the police over stalking concerns in the months before their deaths after he refused to accept her decision.

He was given "words of advice" by officers.

But they took no action when, just over a month prior to their deaths, a bag containing weapons, which included a note saying "Do not lie", was found near to where her horse was stabled.

Resuming an inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court, Mr Kewley said: "Gracie left home early to go and see her horse in the field.

"Just after 8am, a number of other people arrived at the field and Gracie was found lying on the ground and a man was seen running away.

"It was initially thought she may have been attacked by a horse.

"At about 8.13am the emergency services were called. Paramedics went to the field.

"The emergency services did the best they could to save Gracie. Sadly they were unable to do so and sadly she died at about 8.50am.

"While the emergency services were attending to Gracie, a knife was found near to where Gracie was discovered.

"Soon a possible link was made with Michael Sellars. At around 11am, Michael Sellars was also found and he was deceased.

"It appeared that Michael Sellars had taken his own life and a suicide note was recovered."

Ms Spinks, an avid horse rider, was later deemed to have died from a stab wound to the neck. Paramedics who attended the scene described "catastrophic" bleeding.

Summarising the background to the case to a jury of 11, Mr Kewley said Ms Spinks first met Sellars in April 2020 when she got a job at a warehouse run by e-commerce firm Xbite.

Sellars, a supervisor, had been with the company since 2015 and had been the subject of complaints from "a number of female colleagues" about his behaviour towards them.

He "started to show an interest" in Ms Spinks and the pair met up outside work "on a number of occasions" but she decided in December 2020 that she did not wish to continue meeting up or to be in a relationship with him.

Mr Kewley said: "Michael Sellars could not accept Gracie Spinks’ decision and he did not respect her decision.

"Mr Sellars would continue to try and engage with Gracie and would persistently ask other staff for information about Gracie.

"It would appear that Mr Sellars had become obsessed with Gracie and could not accept her decision."

On 4 January 2021 Ms Spinks was travelling to Blue Lodge Farm, where her horse, Paddy, was stabled, when she saw Sellars parked in a lay-by.

She reported the incident to xbite, with Sellars suspended and later dismissed, but during the disciplinary process he said he "thought Gracie had lied about the nature of the relationship between them", Mr Kewley said.

A month later Ms Spinks reported her concerns to Derbyshire Police, claiming she was worried about a repeat of the incident, but Sellars was only given "words of advice" following an investigation.

Then, on 6 May that year, a member of the public found a rucksack containing knives, an axe, and a hammer near Blue Lodge Farm, which also contained a note that read "Do not lie".

While the bag contained a Marks & Spencer receipt - which was traced back to one of Sellars’ relatives after his death - officers "were not concerned" and no further action was taken.

Following the deaths, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said five Derbyshire Police officers had cases to answer for misconduct.

Mr Kewley told the jurors that they are tasked with finding how, on the balance of probabilities, Ms Spinks died, including whether police could or should have done more to investigate the incidents prior to her death.

Reading a statement outside the court on Monday (Oct 30), Sajad Chaudhury, representing Ms Spinks’ family, said: "Gracie was snatched away from us by a coward, who was unwilling to face the consequences of unthinking actions.

"We cannot hold him to account. We have had no closure.

"The inquest will enable the nation to hear the distressing facts as to how and in what circumstances Gracie was killed, the events leading up to Gracie’s death, and her interaction with the police in reporting her stalker."

The inquest continues.