Woman jailed for Christmas Day murder of ex-partner

Kirsty Carless showed no reaction in the dock when she was sentenced

A woman who murdered her ex-partner on Christmas Day when she stabbed him in the heart has been jailed for life.

Kirsty Carless, 33, will serve a minimum prison term of 25 years after killing father-of-six Louis Price, 31, at his parents' home in Norton Canes, Staffordshire.

The attack was "motivated by anger and jealousy" after Carless, of Haling Way in Cannock, Staffordshire, was sent a picture of Mr Price's profile on dating app Tinder, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Sentencing her on Thursday, Mr Justice Choudhury said Carless had "destroyed the life of a young man and his family" in the fatal attack during the early hours of 25 December.

She showed no reaction in the dock as Mr Justice Choudhury passed his sentence, accusing her of showing "no remorse" and falsely claiming she did not remember what happened.

Carless was found guilty of murder and possessing an offensive weapon when the jury returned its verdicts on Wednesday.

She was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm by a majority of 11 to one in connection with an incident in November 2024 but was cleared of intentional strangulation in relation to the same incident.

Louis Price, 31, was described as a "beautiful" son my his mother Eleanor

The trial was told Carless had been drinking with a male friend at a pub on Christmas Eve before the attack.

The pair had sex three times at his house before she was sent a screenshot of Mr Price's Tinder profile, which the court heard made her angry.

Carless took a taxi back to her house, where she picked up a kitchen knife before getting another taxi to Mr Price's parents' home in Elm Road, Norton Canes, arriving at about 03:00 GMT.

CCTV footage showed her running up the front path, the court heard, and she was seen "stalking" him around the garden.

He was later found with a single stab wound to the chest on the conservatory floor, the jury was told.

Kirsty Carless was caught on CCTV chasing Louis Price while holding a knife

The taxi driver, who was waiting for Carless, reported hearing a "very loud and prolonged scream" before she got back in the vehicle.

She was said to be "anxious and sweating" and ordered the driver to take her to her parents' house, where she admitted what she had done.

In her evidence during the trial, Carless said she had no recollection of stabbing him and "was not a violent person".

She said she picked up the knife because she intended to destroy a caravan he was staying in in his parents' back garden and had "panicked" after she stabbed him.

'Act of evil'

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Mr Price's mother, Eleanor, said her "beautiful" son was murdered "by the woman he loved".

She said: "Our hearts have been ripped apart. I brought Louis into this world and I should have left before him.

"Every minute of every day, I think about my boy. He was no angel, but thanks to Kirsty, he's now my angel."

Mr Price's father, Graham, said his son was his fishing buddy and best friend, adding that his life was taken by an "act of evil".

"Louis lost his life, she took it from him," he said. "We will never forget Louis or forgive what has happened to him."