Man jailed for life after stabbing girlfriend 54 times over false cheating claims

A man who stabbed his girlfriend 54 times after falsely accusing her of cheating on him has been jailed for life.

Ian Bennett from Solihull has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

His 63-year-old mother, Lynda Bennett, was also sentenced to three years imprisonment, after she was found guilty of assisting an offender and doing an act intended to pervert the course of justice.

Kerry Woolley, a mother-of-two, was found dead at her home in Westley Heights on Warwick Road in Olton on July 12 2020.

She was stabbed after Bennett, described in court as acting in a "paranoid, obsessive and controlling way", had accused her of sleeping with a woman they met at a Solihull wine bar.

Ian Bennett then convinced his mother to help him throw police off the scent.

The pair, both of Moordown Avenue, Solihull, denied their actions but were found guilty by a jury in less than two hours.

It was a crucial slip-up by Lynda Bennett that helped police crack the case.

Officers seized her dash-cam footage, which captured her killer son disposing of potential evidence, including throwing a knife into a canal.

Sentencing, Judge Melbourne Inman QC said: "[Ian] Bennett you have been convicted on overwhelming evidence.

"Ms Woolley had difficulties in her life but still had much of it before her. She leaves behind a grieving family.

"Kerry had only been going out with you a matter of weeks. On the night before the two of you had gone out for a drink.

"You accused Kerry of cheating with the other lady. During the night you looked at internet sites on how to get revenge."

Judge Inman said: "You went to her flat. You left the flat two-and-a-half hours later. During that time you savagely attacked Kerry.

"You used serious physical violence on her.

"You also strangled her. You smothered her with your right hand. You inflicted 54 separate injuries with those knives.

"The violence was on any view extreme. When you used the knives Kerry was still conscious.

Judge Inman continues: "This was obviously a sustained attack. Kerry must have been wholly terrified before she suffered the fatal injuries.

"Having killed her you set about in a calm and collected manner trying to get away with it.

"You enlisted the help of your mother and within nine minutes you set in to train your false trail."You continued the pretence with her family. You appeared to be extremely distressed.

"You were confident with your deception. You believed your plan would succeed."

Det Sgt Rory Jus, of West Midlands Police, said: "Ian Bennett unleashed a vicious and brutal attack on Kerry Woolley, a woman he had only been in a relationship with for a matter of a few short weeks.

"He then chose to blatantly lie about what had happened but quickly became unstuck as the evidence mounted up against him.

"In particular the dashcam from his mother’s car showed how he’d enlisted her help as he disposed of the items that would ultimately tie him to his crime."

"Neither Ian Bennett nor his mother Lynda have once shown any remorse for their part in this terrible crime and it was pleasing to see that the evidence we were able to put before the jury enabled them to see through their lies.

"Our thoughts have always been with Kerry’s family, and we hope that Bennett’s conviction, and also that of his mother, can now bring them some comfort."