Man murdered midwife lover ‘in fit of rage’
A MAN has pleaded guilty to murdering a midwife in a bout of ‘intense rage’ after having a ‘longstanding affair’ with her.
The body of 28-year-old Samantha Eastwood, from Macclesfield, was discovered in a shallow grave in a rural area near Caverswall, Staffordshire, in August, wrapped in a duvet, with tape around her eyes and face.
Michael Stirling, the brother-inlaw of the victim’s ex-fiance John Peake, admitted murder when he appeared at court via video link.
The 32-year-old, sporting a full beard, sat at a table wearing a dark grey T-shirt as Miss Eastwood’s mother and sister and Mr Peake watched from the public gallery at Northampton Crown Court.
After Stirling entered his plea, his barrister Charles Miskin QC addressed the court to provide the basis of that plea.
He said: “This was not a premeditated act. The context of the killing was a background of growing tension arising from a longstanding, but not particularly intense, affair.”
He said that on the afternoon of the killing ‘various things were said’ between the two, leading to a row.
Mr Miskin said: “There was an argument in that context that led to him being very angry. After a struggle and while she was on the floor, he put his hands over her throat, her mouth and nose, and as a result of that she died.”
He added: “During his intense rage, he originally intended to cause her really serious bodily harm, but matters escalated and he carried out the intention to kill her. He panicked afterwards and buried her in an area of which he had some knowledge. He entirely accepts that he tried, wholly dishonestly, to mislead others in the aftermath after the killing. He is absolutely horrified about what happened and is deeply sorry, not for himself, but for all the others who are victims of this crime.”
Stirling, of Gratton Road, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, admitted killing Miss Eastwood between July 26 and August 5 at Baddeley Green in Stoke.
Jonas Hankin QC, prosecuting, said that two days before the murder, Stirling had researched methods on how to ‘kill oneself.’
Mr Hankin added Stirling had a ‘history of mental health problems’ as recently as 2015, and asked for permission through the court, from the defendant, to access his medical records.
Stirling was remanded in custody to appear at Stafford Crown Court for sentencing on December 3.