Dad Jailed for Life After Stabbing Kids’ Mum While They Hid
A Bexley man has been locked up for life after brutally stabbing the mother of his children to death while their terrified kids hid in the next room.
Tony Curant’s Chilling Crime
Tony Curant, 33, was sentenced on August 2 to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years for the horrific murder. Leila, his partner and mother of his three children, had been planning to leave the abusive relationship before he launched his savage attack.
In the weeks before her death, Leila called Curant “the biggest bully she had ever met” and desperately wanted out. Despite her attempts to escape, Curant subjected her to a relentless assault, stabbing her 57 times, including 18 wounds to her head, face, and neck.
Children’s Horror and Last Moments of Leila
Curant and Leila had been in an on-again, off-again relationship since 2006, marred by abuse. By December 2023, Leila accused him of rape and violent beatings in front of their children. She’d secured a new flat, ready to leave.
On the day of the stabbing, Leila sent a voice message to her mother begging for help and recorded herself crying as Curant accused her of cheating. When emergency services arrived after Curant’s 999 call, they found Leila in a pool of blood. She pleaded, “Please save me. I can’t feel my body. Tony done it.”
Their children, hiding nearby, asked officers, “Is mum still alive?” They revealed Curant had taken their phones to stop them getting help. Leila sadly died in hospital a week later on January 23.
Family Grief and Judge’s Scathing Verdict
Leila’s mother Caroline Young made a heart-breaking victim impact statement:
“My beautiful daughter Leila was brutally taken from us by the father of her children and the man she trusted. Our family has been shattered by this senseless act of violence. Joy and laughter have been replaced by tears and grief.”
After the attack, Curant went on the run. He contacted his friend Richard Ray, 34, from Swanley, who has now pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and awaits sentencing.
Judge David Aaronberg KC condemned Curant’s actions as “utterly horrific,” highlighting his violent past and drug problems before handing down the minimum 21-year jail term.
