MAN JAILED FOR PUSHING LOVER TO HER DEATH FROM 14TH FLOOR WINDOW
A man named David Douglas, aged 44 and described as 'angry and obsessive,' was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering his partner, Dora Matthews, by pushing her from a 14th-floor flat in Wood Green.Ms.
Matthews, who was 43, was heard shouting 'let me go' just before she fell onto the pavement in December 2013.
Neighbors had overheard noisy disagreements between the couple during the early hours, and CCTV images showed Douglas running barefoot from the building while clutching a can of lager.
After a jury at Southwark Crown Court spent nearly ten hours deliberating, Douglas was found guilty of murder.
He was sentenced by Judge Juliet May QC to serve at least 17 years before possible release.
It was revealed that Ms.
Matthews worked as a cleaner and that her relationship with Douglas had been tumultuous for five years prior to her death.
The prosecution’s QC, Mark Dennis, stated that the killing was not accidental but a deliberate act motivated by Douglas’s uncontrollable anger and obsession during a heated argument.
Judge May remarked that if Ms.
Matthews was conscious when she exited the window, she would have been terrified, a thought that stayed with her family.
She further clarified that there were no mitigating circumstances—although Douglas had a history of violence, none of his previous offenses matched the severity of this case.
The judge described Douglas as a violent, obsessive person and highlighted his extensive but less severe criminal record.
The case brought attention to the volatile nature of their relationship, which ultimately led to this tragic event and loss of life.
