Woman who killed partner as he slept jailed for 12 years

A woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of her partner in west Belfast in 2022

Julie Ann McIlwaine, of Hazel Close, Lagmore, stabbed James Joseph Crossley, 38, while he slept at her former home in Filbert drive in Dunmurry on 2 March 2022.

The 34-year-old had admitted killing Mr Crossley but denied his murder.

During the trial the court heard how the pair were in a relationship marred by domestic abuse and coercive control.

In October 2024, jurors at Coleraine Crown Court rejected her argument and found her guilty after nine hours of deliberations.

The judge, Mr Justice Kinney, described the murder of Mr Crossley as "brutal and savage''.

He told the defendant that after serving the minimum of 12 years in custody, it would be up to parole commissioners to decide whether it was safe to release her back into the community.

At the time of his death, James Crossley was on bail for an assault against McIlwaine and was subject to a restraining order prohibiting him from being in contact with her.

The defence said McIlwaine was suffering from a temporary "stress reaction" brought on by the trauma of her abusive relationship.

The prosecution told the court that the defendant's "rational choices" on the night of the stabbing proved that she was in control of what she was doing.

On the day he was killed, the court heard Mr Crossley and McIlwaine had been arguing on and off.

He had told her she would need to "choose between him and her family" and took medication and went to sleep in bed beside their 10-month-old baby.

In police interviews played to the court, McIlwaine told police that "it all just got on top of me" and she thought about taking her own life.

"I was getting all these thoughts in my head. I didn't know what was going on. I felt like a psychopath," she said.

She described to police how she went downstairs to the kitchen, took the biggest knife there and went back to the attic room where Mr Crossley was asleep beside the infant.

"I set the baby to the end of the bed. I knew to get her out of the way. I didn't want to get blood on her."

McIlwaine then stabbed Mr Crossley 10 times. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital but died a short time later.

A pathologist told the court that his cause of death was given as seven stab wounds to the chest and abdomen and he had further wounds to his arms and legs.

Following Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Det Insp Michelle Griffin of the PSNI said it has been an "extremely difficult case" involving two people who had been in a "mutually abusive relationship".

She said that it had left "so many family members, including children, totally heartbroken.

"There are no winners here. Only sorrow prevails."

The detective added: "It's a sad reminder that no-one should ever take the law into their own hands, and I want to appeal to anyone, irrespective of gender or background, who is experiencing, or has experienced, domestic abuse to please speak to us."