Man sentenced to 15 years for killing ex-partner

A man who brutally killed his ex-partner in a frenzied knife attack in Redditch last year has been jailed for 15 years.

Christopher Hemming, of Other Road in Redditch, pled not guilty to the murder of 44-year-old Cheryl Mckenna on the first day of the trial at Worcester Crown Court.

On Friday (18 July), halfway through the trial, he changed his plea to guilty.

During the trial, the jury were told how the 47-year-old attacked Cheryl on the morning of Monday 11 November, 2024, at the home they still shared on Other Road following the breakdown of their relationship.

Hemming had been in a relationship with Cheryl since 2010, but the pair separated at the start of 2024.

On the day of the murder, Hemming had discovered Cheryl was in a new relationship, before using a knife to stab her multiple times in the bedroom.

After the attack he called a friend of Cheryl’s using her phone, where he stated, “I wish the camera worked on this phone so I could show you what I’ve done”. He then called emergency services where he calmly told the call taker “I’ve killed my ex-partner”.

Emergency services rushed to the address where efforts were made to save Cheryl’s life, but sadly her injuries were so severe that she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hemming was arrested inside the address on suspicion of murder and later charged with the same offence.

Despite initially admitting to police that he had killed Cheryl, Hemming then entered a not guilty plea to murder at court and instead pled guilty to manslaughter. However, on the fifth day of the trial he changed his plea to guilty of murder.

Today (Monday 21 July) Hemming was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years and 117 days in prison for the murder of Cheryl.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher said: “We welcome today’s sentence as Hemming is an incredibly dangerous and manipulative individual, who has shown no remorse for his unforgivable actions.

“It is clear to us that the attack on Cheryl intended to kill her after he realised their relationship had ended, and he couldn’t bear to see her happy with someone else. It was simply a case of if I can’t have her, no one can.

“What Hemming did that day was a purely evil crime, and despite admitting to the killing Cheryl when he called police, he then chose to enter a not guilty plea at court."

DCI Lougher added: “I want to pay tribute to Cheryl’s family who lost a mother, daughter, sister and aunt at the hands of someone who was once supposed to love and protect her. The loss they have felt, and will continue to feel, is unimaginable and I hope that today’s sentencing will allow them for some closure moving forward.”

Pictured: Cheryl Mckenna

A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK, and violence against women and girls makes up just under 20% per cent of all recorded crime in England and Wales.

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