David Barraclough murdered Carolann Barraclough, concealed her body in the family home and sent messages pretending she was still alive. The court heard that he downloaded Tinder just two days after the killing.
A mother of three was murdered by her husband, who hid her body in a chest freezer and spent the following weeks telling her family that she was alive and recovering in hospital. Now, David Barraclough has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 22 years and one month, for the killing of his wife, Carolann Barraclough.
The disturbing case unfolded in Horbury, West Yorkshire, where 37-year-old Carolann was killed at the couple's home in February 2026. Barraclough, 46, admitted murdering her after initially maintaining that he had acted in self-defence. He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, 9 October. But the details revealed in court went far beyond the fatal attack itself. They exposed a calculated attempt to conceal a killing while the victim's family continued to believe she was alive.
Prosecutors said Barraclough murdered Carolann with a claw hammer sometime between 19 and 21 February. Her body was then bound, wrapped in a duvet and placed inside a chest freezer in the utility room of the family home. Rather than telling her loved ones what had happened, Barraclough allegedly constructed a web of lies designed to keep suspicion at bay. He told Carolann's relatives, friends and neighbours that she was in hospital recovering from an illness. He also used her phone to send messages that made it appear she was still alive and expected to return home.
@itvnews A murderer who killed his wife before hiding her body in a freezer for two weeks has been jailed for more than 20 years. David Barraclough murdered Carolann Barraclough with a claw hammer at her home in Horbury, West Yorkshire, in February of this year. He then sent text messages from her phone to her family - including her three children - claiming she was in hospital recovering from an illness. #horbury #murder #davidbarraclough ♬ original sound - ITV News
Among those deceived were Carolann's three children. Barraclough prevented them from entering the room where the freezer was kept, while messages from their mother's phone reinforced the belief that she was simply away receiving medical treatment. For nearly two weeks, the truth remained hidden inside the home they shared. One of the most shocking revelations concerned Barraclough's behaviour in the immediate aftermath of his wife's death.
The court heard that he downloaded the dating app Tinder just two days after the killing. He was also seen visiting local pubs, and investigators uncovered evidence that he had contacted escorts and exchanged explicit messages with another woman. Financial records showed that he withdrew substantial sums of money from the couple's joint bank account. By the time he went to the police, the court heard, only 16p remained in their accounts.
These details formed part of the prosecution's case that his behaviour was inconsistent with his later claims that he was heartbroken and confused by what had happened. The case raises difficult questions about how someone could continue with aspects of their everyday life while concealing the death of their partner from the very people grieving and searching for answers. On 5 March 2026, Barraclough walked into Normanton Police Station and told a receptionist: "I've killed my wife."
Officers subsequently attended the family home and discovered Carolann's body inside the freezer. Barraclough initially attempted to portray himself as a victim of domestic abuse, claiming that Carolann had attacked him with a hammer and that he had acted in self-defence. However, prosecutors presented CCTV evidence showing no visible injuries to his face or body around the time of the killing.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to murder on the first day of his trial. During sentencing, Judge Andrew Stubbs KC condemned the killing and the conduct that followed. Barraclough refused to attend court to hear his sentence, which was handed down in his absence. The sentence was life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 22 years and one month before he can be considered for release on licence. It does not mean he will automatically be released after that period. Behind the disturbing details of the case is the loss of a woman whose life was central to her family.
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The killing of Carolann Barraclough has renewed attention on the devastating impact of violence against women in the UK. According to the Femicide Census, 122 women were killed by men across the UK in 2022, with 51% killed by a current or former intimate partner. Researchers have consistently found that the majority of women killed by men are murdered by someone they know, often within their own homes. |
In a statement read to the court, Carolann's sister, Sarah Rowley, described how the family had been shattered by the "senseless and violent" way she was taken from them. She spoke of the agonising absence left behind and the devastating impact on Carolann's children. The Crown Prosecution Service praised Carolann's eldest daughter for her bravery in providing vital evidence during an extraordinarily traumatic period. Senior Crown Prosecutor Jill May said Barraclough had attempted to present himself as a victim, but the evidence told a very different story. She expressed hope that the outcome would bring the family some sense of justice.
For Carolann's loved ones, however, no sentence can restore the years they should have shared with her. Barraclough's sentence reflects the gravity of the crime, but the case leaves painful questions about domestic abuse, control, deception and the devastating consequences of violence within a relationship.
Carolann's children were not only left without their mother; they were also kept in the dark about what had happened to her while she lay concealed inside their own home. The tragedy is a stark reminder that behind every court case is a family forced to live with consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom.
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