Woman jailed for stabbing boyfriend in drunk rage
A WOMAN who stabbed her boyfriend to death in a drink and drugfuelled rage has been jailed for 11 years.
Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow killed Gary Cunningham at her flat in Harborne in February 2019 then walked over his body ‘without a flicker of emotion’ when police arrived, a court heard.
She has now been found guilty of manslaughter and jailed again after her original conviction was quashed following an appeal.
Labinjo-Halcrow, 28, was previously sent to prison for 18 years of which she would have served up to half behind bars. Although her latest sentence is significantly less, a law change means she will have to remain in custody for two thirds of the term before being considered for release on licence.
Birmingham Crown Court judge Justice Tipples said Labinjo-Halcrow told ‘lie after lie’ after killing Mr Cunningham, aged 29.
The pair met at an alcohol awareness
course and were ‘drawn together by drink,’ said the judge. They both ‘drank too much and had mental health problems’.
Justice Tipples said: “There were weeks when you were together and weeks when you were apart. The relationship
was toxic and included violence. There were fights. Gary was violent to you and you were violent to Gary. It was not all one-way. You were as bad as each other. You told lie after lie about the extent of the violence inflicted on you by Gary. You completely exaggerated the physical violence in your relationship.”
She said Labinjo-Halcrow made a number of serious false accusations about the victim to make out Gary was ‘responsible for his own death and deflect blame from yourself’.
Labinjo-Halcrow was seeing another man at the same time as Mr Cunningham, neither of whom were aware of the fact.
There were many ‘aggravating factors’ which undermined her claim of self defence. She inflicted the fatal attack on Mr Cunningham on the morning of February 23, 2019 at her flat in Frensham Way, off Station Road, in Harborne.
Justice Tipples said: “The only person who knows what happened is you. However drunk and drugged you were that morning I’m quite sure you know what actually happened.”
The judge concluded there was ‘no element’ of self defence in the killing.
David Mason, defending, said: “She has depression and a complete lack of self worth.”