David Barraclough jailed for life, minimum 22 years, for murdering wife Carolann

Mixed · 2David Barraclough has been jailed for life for murdering his wife, Carolann Barraclough, a mother of three whose body was found in a freezer at their home in the Wakefield area of West Yorkshire. 1 2 Mixed · 2He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to life with a minimum term of 22 years; the BBC gives the term as 22 years and one month. 1 2 Mixed · 2Barraclough had denied murder but pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to start; the BBC reports he refused to attend court for sentencing. 1 2

Mixed · 2The court heard she was killed with a claw hammer in February, on 20 February according to the Mirror, or between 19 and 21 February according to the BBC. 1 2 Left · 1Judge Stubbs KC said Barraclough attacked his wife with a hammer while she lay in bed and the children were unaware, and that he was sure there was "a significant degree of planning", citing a cover story about her being ill. 1 Mixed · 2Afterwards he tied up her body and put it in a utility-room freezer, told family, friends and neighbours she was in hospital, messaged her daughter and others from her phone pretending to be her, and stopped the children entering the room with the freezer. 2 1

Mixed · 2While she lay dead he joined dating apps, contacted escorts, exchanged explicit messages with a woman and withdrew large sums of cash using his wife's card or the joint account; the CPS said he also visited pubs and downloaded Tinder two days after her death. 1 2 Mixed · 2The reports differ on how the body was found: the Mirror says police found it on 5 March after a concern-for-safety report, while the BBC says Barraclough walked into Normanton Police Station that day and said "I've killed my wife", after which officers found her in the freezer. 1 2 Left · 1Prosecutor Andrew Haslam KC told the court there was a "background of domestic violence" in the relationship. 1

Centre · 1Barraclough later claimed self-defence after being struck with a hammer and described himself as "heartbroken" and "in a haze"; prosecutors rejected this, saying CCTV showed no visible injuries. 2 Centre · 1Jill May of CPS Yorkshire and Humberside said he had "spun a calculated web of lies" and praised Carolann Barraclough's eldest daughter for her "incredible bravery" in giving evidence. 2