Harrogate man jailed for strangling lover despite court orders

Robert Johnson, an abusive boyfriend who was banned from seeing the mother of his four children, strangled Kelly Smith in her bedroom. Kelly Smith, 23, of Slingsby Crescent, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was killed by Johnson, whose body was later found hanged in her home in June 2007. Two court orders had prohibited Johnson from contacting Miss Smith. The inquest heard that Johnson's relationship with Kelly Smith was highly dysfunctional, beginning in 1999, and that on one occasion, Miss Smith woke to find Johnson standing at her bed with a hammer raised above his head. She had also called police 25 times between 2000 and 2005. Despite a non-molestation order and an occupation order banning him from the vicinity, Johnson continued to see Kelly Smith. He suffered from depression, was prescribed antidepressants which he did not take, and had a drink and drug problem. On the day he killed her, he had been drinking, which may have intensified his emotional state. The coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, emphasizing the failure of families and authorities to prevent the tragedy. Johnson's body was found hanged shortly after he murdered Miss Smith.