BAG-STRAP STRANGLER GETS LIFE FOR KILLING EX-PARTNER
A man has received a life sentence after being convicted of killing his former partner by strangulation with her handbag strap.Kate Mchugh was discovered dead at Emile Adams' residence in Conway View, Harehills, Leeds, following witnesses' reports of a violent dispute outside the property in the early hours of May 2.
During the trial, Adams, aged 31, was found guilty by an 11-1 jury majority at Leeds Crown Court of homicide.
The jury’s verdict culminated in a conviction for the murder of Miss Mchugh, who was the mother of his young daughter.
In sentencing, Judge Peter Collier QC, the Recorder of Leeds, highlighted a statement from the victim’s mother, which described the profound grief and hardship experienced by the family due to the loss.
“The most significant harm you caused is that you permanently deprived your daughter of her mother and removed yourself from her life for an extended period.
No words can truly compensate for that loss,” he stated.
The judge clarified that Adams and Miss Mchugh had separated after a somewhat tumultuous relationship but had established arrangements for sharing custody of their child.
He explained that on the night of the incident, while Miss Mchugh was out dressed fancifully with friends and Adams was caring for the child, Adams took the child into the city to visit her mother.
This made her angry, as she believed the child should be in bed.
The judge described this decision to take the child to her grandmother's house as “completely inappropriate,” adding that verbal altercations ensued and Adams drove away with the car door open, causing Miss Mchugh to fall.
Later, she went to Harehills to retrieve her child from Adams' home, which was viewed as an unwise choice.
The confrontation became violent, and Miss Mchugh was seen banging on his car window, after which Adams forcibly took her inside.
It was established that Adams overpowered her and used her handbag strap as a ligature in some manner.
The jury rejected the claim that he acted in self-defense.
While Adams has expressed remorse since the incident, the judge emphasized that the appropriate sentence was life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 14 years and 188 days before eligibility for parole.
