MOTHER OF ALL EVIL Shocking dashcam footage shows killer’s MUM helping cover up brutal murder of girlfriend he stabbed 54 times
LISA WOOLLEY was thrilled when her lonely sister found a new man three years after breaking up with a long-term partner.
But six weeks into the romance, Ian Bennett murdered 38-year-old Kerry, stabbing her 54 times in a jealous rage and then getting his mum to cover up the crime.
Bennett, now 40, was jailed in 2021 after footage from his mother Lynda’s dashcam showed her helping him dispose of the kitchen knives he used to kill mum-of-two Kerry.
Lisa, 44, who liked her sister’s new partner at first, says he became possessive and sent paranoid messages to her about Kerry before the murder.
She wants to raise awareness of domestic violence and help others to spot the red flags to look out for.
Her bid to raise the profile of the issue comes as experts have criticised the Government for failing to protect women.
Figures shared by the Femicide Census revealed 350 women have been killed by a man since the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021.
Of these, eight in ten had a relationship with their killer, and 43 per cent were killed by a former or current partner.
Lisa says Kerry was her best friend, and the pair were “inseparable”.
She told The Sun: “Kerry and Ian only dated for just over a month. This should never have happened.
“Ian hasn’t shown an ounce of remorse, while his mother was no better and denied everything too.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t miss Kerry’s bubbliness that could lighten anyone’s mood.”
‘Alarm bells rang, was he being possessive?’
Kerry and Lisa, who both worked at insurance companies, lived round the corner from each other in Solihull, West Mids, and were incredibly close.
Lisa says: “Kerry and I loved to cosy up on the sofa with a takeaway and glass of wine while our partners were out.
“Kerry was a mum to two children, now 15 and 12, who she had with her childhood sweetheart.
“We had family barbecues on the weekends. In the week, Kerry worked incredibly hard, juggling long shifts, two kids and her home.”
But after 20 years together, Kerry and her long-term partner split in 2017. Kerry moved into her own flat and they shared custody of their children.
Lisa says: “As her sister, I could tell she was lonely.
“Then one day, three years after the break-up, Kerry told me she’d met someone — a guy from school.
“She said his name was Ian and that he was in the year below her.
“As I was in the year above Kerry, I scanned my brain but couldn’t remember him myself.
“Ian had messaged her on Facebook out of the blue and they’d been on a few dates.
“Kerry seemed to like him so I was really happy for her.”
Kerry and Ian only dated for just over a month. This should never have happened
Just weeks later, in June 2020, Ian added Lisa on Facebook to introduce himself and chat about Kerry.
She says: “I’d check in on Kerry and he’d always reply quickly. He was sweet.
“But after a few weeks he started acting jealous. He once asked me why she was in contact with a past boyfriend.
“Another time, he asked me if she’d ever slept with one of her male friends.
“At first, alarm bells rang in my head and I wondered if he was being possessive.
“But whenever I spoke to Kerry, she seemed so happy. I decided to not think anything of it.
“Then days later, I got a call from Ian in the middle of the night. He was slurring and sounded very intoxicated.
“He said Kerry had cheated on him with a woman.”
That night, in July 2020, Kerry discovered the couple had gone to a wine bar earlier that evening, met a friendly couple and went back to their flat.
While Ian and the woman’s partner popped to the garage, Kerry had become hot and took her jumper off.
Seeing her in a tank top on his return, Ian accused her of sleeping with the other woman.
He threw a remote at Kerry’s TV and smashed it.
Lisa says: “It was really confusing. I told Ian Kerry isn’t bisexual. I said, ‘Go home and sleep it off.’ It was clearly a silly, drunken tiff.
“The next day, Kerry called me and she was laughing with Ian saying they were fine.
“Ian said in the background he was sorry for being stupid and that he’d replace Kerry’s TV.
“I was glad they had sorted things. I chatted with Kerry for a bit and said bye.”
Later that night, Lisa saw Kerry had posted a photo of her and Ian smiling together on social media.
The next morning, Ian texted Lisa, “Have you spoken to Kerry today? We had a row because I went home early last night.”
She’d been attacked. I shook my head and said ‘no’. I didn’t believe it
Lisa says: “I replied and said she was probably asleep. But throughout the day, Ian kept messaging, concerned he’d still not heard from her.
“I was busy at my mum’s, with Kerry’s kids, so I hadn’t spoken to her myself. Then later that afternoon Ian rang me and was hysterical.
“He cried, saying he was at her flat, the door was unlocked and that he’d found her covered in blood.
“She’d been attacked. I shook my head and said ‘no’. I didn’t believe it.”
After speeding over to Kerry’s flat, which was cordoned off by police, Lisa saw that Ian standing by the front gate.
She says: “I hadn’t seen him in real life before, but I recognised him from photos right away.
‘Ian and his mum lied through their teeth’
“He was acting shifty and was avoiding eye contact with me.
“Then a police officer told me Kerry was dead. I couldn’t cry — I was too numb. At that moment my world collapsed.
“Moments later, police arrested Ian and I didn’t know what to believe. Then I saw an older woman there speaking to the police.
“She came up to me, introduced herself as Lynda and said that she was Ian’s mum. I said Kerry had told me nice things about her.
“She said how sad she was about what happened to Kerry and that she was there for Ian.
“I was a mess and had to go home to tell Kerry’s children and the family she was gone. We were all beside ourselves.”
Days later, Lisa was informed by police that they had discovered Ian’s mum’s dashcam footage from the night of the murder.
In the video, Lynda could be seen picking up Ian from Kerry’s flat and driving him to a canal bridge where he dumped the murder weapon into the water.
Lisa says: “I couldn’t comprehend it. Ian murdered my sister, then his mum had helped him throw the police off his scene. I felt sick.”
After that, the truth unravelled and Lisa discovered that night, in a fit of rage, Ian had used two large kitchen knives to stab Kerry 54 times in her neck.
All the times Ian had acted jealously came flooding back and I felt guilt-ridden. I wished I’d stopped the relationship
Afterwards, he strangled her and smothered her with his hand until she died.
Lisa says: “My heart was broken. All the times Ian had acted jealously came flooding back and I felt guilt-ridden. I wished I’d stopped the relationship.”
In November 2021, Bennett was found guilty of murder at Birmingham Crown Court and sentenced to life, with a minimum 25 years.
Lynda, 65, was found guilty of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to three years.
Lisa says: “In court, Ian lied through his teeth, as did his mum. They were monsters.
“I was relieved we got justice for Kerry, but I was so angry. All the evidence was there, yet Ian made us go through the pain and agony of a trial.
“Now, looking back, I see how he manipulated me. Kerry’s children have been our strength on our dark days.
“We have no choice but to live in our grief, but we will never forget her and make sure her memory lives on with her children.”
HOW TO GET HELP
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims of domestic violence:
- Always keep your mobile phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999. You do not need to speak – if prompted by the operator, dial 55 to let them know it is a genuine emergency and you’ll be put through to police.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200.
The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis. Contact messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service available weekdays
from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
No comments: