CASTLEFORD MAN JAILED FOR LIFE FOR WIFE’S MURDER
Matthew Fisher, aged 30 and from Castleford, was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Abi Fisher, who was 29 years old.According to reports, he assaulted and strangled her before leaving their young child alone while he transported her body to a woodland area near Brierley in South Yorkshire.
Investigations uncovered his fingerprints on gaffer tape located near her body, and her remains were later discovered partly hidden among bushes in a lay-by on July 10.
Shortly after the murder, Fisher called the police to report her as missing and even posted a social media appeal asking if anyone had seen Abi, despite having already committed the crime.
Court proceedings revealed that he last saw Abi on the evening of July 8 and awoke the following day to find her missing.
During the same period, he traveled through Lancashire, Derbyshire, and South Yorkshire.
Fisher admitted to placing his hand over his wife's mouth and trying to suffocate her with a T-shirt but claimed he 'lost control' after she expressed her unhappiness and said she planned to leave him.
The court was told that his actions resulted in their six-month-old daughter losing her mother.
The judge at Leeds Crown Court sentenced Fisher to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years before eligible for parole.
Abi's family voiced their grief and shock over the incident, stating they had never suspected Fisher capable of such harm despite treating him like family.
Throughout the hearing, Fisher was seen with his head in his hands, while Abi’s mother, Andrea Richardson, told him to show respect and pointed out that he had lied to their family.
The family also issued a statement praising the police, friends, and the community for their search efforts to find Abi.
It was also revealed that Fisher attempted to hide his involvement by lying about where he was on the day of her murder.
