A lorry driver who stabbed his partner’s mother to death in a frenzied drunken attack after she came to her daughter’s aid has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years.
Damian Homer, 51, also stabbed his partner Stacey Hill, who tried to shield her mother Wendy Francis from blows with a kitchen knife as they fought for their lives, Worcester Crown Court was told.
The former dairy manager, DJ and care worker sat with his head bowed throughout a near two-hour hearing and frequently sobbed in the dock as family members, including Mrs Francis’s son, described the killing as “evil” in victim impact statements read to Judge Rupert Mayo.
Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said Mrs Francis, 61, had gone to the property in Haresfield Close, Worcester, after being alerted by her daughter, who had seen Homer arming himself with a knife.
Mrs Francis arrived at the property at 8.21pm on March 2, the court heard, and saw her daughter screaming and being attacked in the kitchen.
Mr Sandhu told the court: “Wendy Francis said ‘get off my daughter’ and she placed her hands on the defendant’s shoulders.”
Homer, who appeared to be “possessed” after an argument, beat both women repeatedly and then stabbed Mrs Francis, the court was told.
“Stacey Hill then got on top of her mother so that any further blows with the knife would be delivered to her rather than her mother,” Mr Sandhu said.
Mrs Francis suffered deep wounds which passed through her left lung and liver, went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 9.18pm, despite the efforts of arriving emergency services to save her.
Ms Hill, 38, believed she was going to die, having suffered wounds to her hand, thigh, chest and abdomen, but still pleaded with paramedics to assist her mother before they helped her, Mr Sandhu added.
Ms Hill, who had a collapsed lung and a cut to the tissue of her liver, spent ten days in hospital, three of them in intensive care.
Homer, who lived with Ms Hill at the address, initially claimed he had been acting in self-defence, but later wrote a letter while in custody to his partner saying “alcohol possessed me” and that he had very little recollection of the attacks.
Defence KC Tim Hannam said Homer was “devastated and mortified” by his actions and had “destroyed the lives of everyone in his family”.
Homer had began to drink to excess in 1998 after losing his job and suffering back problems.
Passing sentence, Judge Mayo described the murder and attempted murder as selfish and cruel, adding: “This senseless killing took place during a near-fatal attack on your partner, Stacey Hill.
“Both of your victims sustained defensive injuries. It would not be an exaggeration to say that both women were fighting for their lives.”
In a statement issued through West Mercia Police, Mrs Francis’s family said: “She would do anything for anyone. She welcomed Damian Homer into the family with open arms, showing nothing but love, support and loyalty towards him, which makes all of this so much harder to comprehend.
“We will never come to terms with why this happened on March 2, but what we do know is she will be loved and missed forever. The void she has left in the lives of her family and friends is one that will never be filled.”
Retired Detective Chief Inspector Leighton Harding, who led the investigation, said: “First and foremost, our thoughts continue to be with Wendy’s family.
“I would also like to commend the second victim, who survived Homer’s attack. Despite the unimaginable trauma she faced, the bravery she has shown has been inspiring and without doubt the evidence she was able to provide was instrumental in securing the conviction of Homer and today’s sentence.”
