‘BRUTAL AND DELIBERATE’
Kerry Woolley was fatally stabbed 54 times by her “jealous and possessive” boyfriend Ian Bennett in 2020. The 38-year-old mum of two, who had only met Bennett a month before her death, was found with “catastrophic” injuries at her home in Olton, Solihull, on 12 July. “She sustained 54 sharp-force injuries, the majority in her neck area. This was violence delivered by Ian Bennett, and was done not just with one knife, but with two,” said prosecutor Caroline Goodwin. “She had few defensive injuries, but that which were delivered to her ended her life. They were catastrophic.” There were signs Kerry had also been smothered and strangled, apparently after Bennett, 38, accused her of cheating on him. These allegations were “groundless”. “Cowardly” Bennett made the 999 call, then lied and attempted to manipulate the situation, with the “willing” help of his mother Lynda. But he was jailed for life last December after being found guilty of murder, while his mother – whose dashcam footage showed Bennett dumping evidence – was given three years for helping him cover up his crime. “Ian Bennett unleashed a vicious and brutal attack on Kerry Woolley, a woman he had only been in a relationship with for a matter of a few short weeks. Neither Ian Bennett nor his mother Lynda have once shown any remorse for their part in this terrible crime,” said Detective Sergeant Rory Juss. Kerry’s family described her as having “a heart of gold”, adding that it was “unbearable to think she will not get to see her children grow up”.