BRADFORD MAN JAILED FOR MURDERING WIFE IN JEALOUS RAGE
Michael Skudder, a 51-year-old man, who was left impotent after a serious illness and believed his wife Helen was unfaithful, took her life on New Year’s Day by strangulation inside their home.According to court records, he used his hands to throttle her and then placed a cushion over her face to ensure her death.
Prosecutor Jonathan Devlin stated that Skudder, more than 20 years her senior, called emergency services at 1.52am, reporting that he had found his wife deceased on the floor.
He accused Helen of cheating and thought she was communicating with her lover, a chef named Matthew Evans.
It emerged during the trial that Skudder had been checking her phone and computer in an attempt to find out who she was seeing and had sent her warning texts.
After returning from the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Shelf, a dispute ensued, with Helen telling him she was leaving him for someone younger.
In a burst of rage, Skudder strangled her, an act he admitted guilt to, which resulted in a life imprisonment term with at least 12 years before parole can be considered.
