Man jailed for life for fatally strangling partner

George Chalmers admitted strangling Ruth Baker to death at his home in Leeds

A man has been jailed for life after he pleaded guilty to strangling his partner to death at his home.

George Chalmers, 54, was jailed for a minimum term of 17 years and six months at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting murdering Ruth Baker at his house on 30 March.

Chalmers, of Tempest Road, Leeds, called officers to his house and told them he had strangled Ms Baker following an argument, West Yorkshire Police said.

He was also sentenced to two years in prison, to run concurrently with his life term, for assaulting Ms Baker and causing actual bodily harm between 3-6 November 2023.

According to West Yorkshire Police, Ms Baker, from Carlisle, died at the scene at Chalmers' home, despite receiving medical attention.

Chalmers was arrested there and taken into custody, where he was later charged with Ms Baker’s murder.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Baker had died of compression of the neck, police said.

Ruth Baker's family urged others in an "unsafe relationship" to seek help

Speaking after Chalmers was sentenced, Det Supt Emma Winfield, the senior investigating officer, said: “Our sympathies remain with the family of Ruth Baker at this very sad time.

“We hope they can take some comfort in knowing Chalmers has now been jailed for life.”

In a statement, members of Ms Baker's family said they wanted to "urge all those people who find themselves stuck in an unsafe relationship to find the strength to seek out support and find the bravery to get out before they, too, are taken from us unnecessarily".

They added: "We would like to thank West Yorkshire Police and the prosecution team for all their hard work and the liaison officers for all the support we have been given over the past seven months.

"We are so grateful, too, for the love and support we have received from our family and close friends."

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said a Domestic Homicide Review into Ms Baker's death would be carried out.

Such a review looks at the circumstances in which the death of someone aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by either a person to whom they were related or with whom they had been in an intimate personal relationship or a member of the same household as themselves.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.