JAMES SMITH'S HORRIFIC CRIME IN MANCHESTER: A TALE OF BRUTALITY AND MURDER

In a case that has shocked the city of Manchester to its core, James Smith, a man with a long history of violence and disturbing behavior, was convicted of the brutal murder of Kelly Anne Bates. The tragic events unfolded over a period of weeks, culminating in a crime so heinous that it left investigators and the public alike in disbelief.

Kelly Anne Bates, born around 1979, was only 17 years old when her life was tragically cut short on 16 April 1996. Her death was the result of a prolonged and horrific ordeal of torture, which included her eyes being gouged out up to three weeks before her death, and her body bearing over 150 injuries. The details of her suffering are almost too gruesome to comprehend. Bates was ultimately drowned in a bathtub, a death that marked the end of a series of unimaginable acts of violence inflicted upon her by her partner, James Smith.

The investigation into her murder was led by Detective Sergeant Joseph Monaghan of Greater Manchester Police. Sergeant Monaghan, who has served in the force for 15 years, remarked on the case, saying, “I have been in the police force for 15 years and have never seen a case as horrific as this.” The pathologist, William Lawler, who examined Bates’ body, described her injuries as “the worst he had seen on a murder victim,” emphasizing the extreme brutality involved.

James Smith, a 49-year-old unemployed divorcee residing in Gorton, Manchester, was at the center of this tragic story. Known among acquaintances as “house-proud and well-groomed,” Smith was a teetotaler and non-smoker. His past was marred by violence; his marriage, which lasted ten years until 1980, ended due to his aggressive behavior towards his wife. Following his divorce, Smith engaged in a series of abusive relationships. Between 1980 and 1982, he was involved with Tina Watson, who he reportedly used as a punching bag, even assaulting her while she was pregnant with his child. Watson managed to escape from this abusive relationship, during which Smith also attempted to drown her while she was bathing.

In 1982, Smith began a statutory rape relationship with 15-year-old Wendy Mottershead, who was also subjected to violence by him. On one occasion, he held her head underwater in the kitchen sink in an attempt to drown her. His pattern of violence and predatory behavior continued, and in 1993, he entered into another statutory rape relationship with Kelly Bates, who was only 14 at the time. When Bates left school, she moved in with Smith at his home on Furnival Road in Gorton, concealing their relationship from her parents. Her mother later recounted her initial unease upon meeting Smith, saying, “As soon as I saw Smith the hairs on the back of my neck went up. I tried everything I could to get Kelly Anne away from him.”

Despite brief separations due to arguments, Bates returned to live with Smith in November 1995. Her parents noticed bruises on her, which she dismissed as accidents. By December, she had become increasingly withdrawn, resigning from her part-time job. In March 1996, her parents received cards supposedly from her for their anniversary and her birthday, but only Smith had written in them. When her brother attempted to visit her at the house, Smith claimed she was not there, and a neighbor, concerned about her whereabouts, was shown her briefly at an upstairs window.

The tragic culmination occurred on 17 April 1996, when Smith appeared at a police station and claimed that he had accidentally killed Bates during an argument in the bath. He insisted that she had inhaled bathwater and died despite his efforts to resuscitate her. However, police officers who responded to his address found Bates’ naked body in a bedroom, with bloodstains in every room of the house. The post-mortem examination revealed over 150 injuries, including burns, stab wounds, fractures, mutilations, and the horrifying detail that her eyes had been gouged out, with the injuries dating back at least five days before her death.

William Lawler, the Home Office pathologist, described her injuries as “the worst he had seen on a murder victim,” emphasizing the extent of her suffering. Her body showed signs of starvation, having lost approximately 20 kilograms, and she had not received water for several days before her death. The injuries indicated a prolonged period of systematic torture, with her being bound, sometimes by her hair to radiators or chairs, and at other times with ligatures around her neck. The injuries included burns, fractures, multiple stab wounds, mutilations, and the horrifying removal of her eyes. The cause of death was determined to be drowning, following a brutal beating about the head with a shower head.

During the trial, Smith denied the murder, claiming that Bates “would put me through hell winding me up,” and accused her of taunting him about his deceased mother. He also alleged that she had a habit of hurting herself to make him look worse. When questioned about the extensive injuries, he claimed she dared him to do them, suggesting she challenged him to harm her. The jury at Manchester Crown Court took just one hour to find Smith guilty of murder. The judge, Mr. Justice Sachs, sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years, condemning his actions as “a catalogue of depravity by one human being upon another.” The judge described Smith as a “highly dangerous person” and an abuser of women, vowing that he would do everything in his power to prevent him from harming anyone else.

As part of the trial process, the jury was provided with professional counseling to help them cope with the distress caused by viewing the photographs of Bates’ injuries and witnessing the “sickening violence” of the case. The verdict and sentencing marked a tragic chapter in Manchester’s criminal history, highlighting the devastating consequences of unchecked violence and abuse.