Lancaster man jailed for life after stabbing wife to death

LANCASTER MAN JAILED FOR LIFE AFTER STABBING WIFE TO DEATH

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting to the murder of his wife in Lancaster.

Tracy Dryden, aged 37 and a mother of two, was stabbed twice in her chest on the morning of March 12 at School House Lane, Halton, Lancaster.

John Dryden, aged 43 from Ingleton, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to the charge of murder at Preston Crown Court.

He has been ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.

The court was told that Dryden could not accept the end of their marriage and started stalking her when she met another man.

His stalking included checking her emails and becoming violent when she changed her password, even breaking into her home and smashing her computer with a crowbar.

On the day of the attack, he crouched on a grass verge where Tracy was parking her car and suddenly leapt out to assault her.

Witnesses heard Dryden shout, 'You are doing my head in.

I cannot cope.

I have had enough.' Tracy Dryden was described by her family as "a loving and wonderful mother," who was dedicated to her children and was completing her PhD.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Judge Anthony Russell QC commented that Dryden's behavior was obsessive and that he was unable to cope with the situation, which led to his stalking and ultimately the murder.