A man who murdered his wife with a hammer before hiding her body in a chest freezer has been jailed for life.
David Barraclough, 46, killed mum-of-three Carolann Barraclough at their home on Ken Churchill Drive, Horbury, earlier this year.
He later told friends, neighbours and members of her family that she had been taken ill and was in hospital.
Police said he also sent messages from Carolann’s phone in an attempt to conceal what had happened.
Body found in freezer
Carolann is believed to have been killed between February 19, when she was last seen alive, and February 21.
On March 5, Barraclough walked into Wakefield District Police Headquarters in Normanton and told staff that he had killed his wife.
Officers went to the couple’s home and found Carolann’s body tied up inside a chest freezer.
Forensic examination established that she had been attacked with a hammer in the main bedroom.
Self-defence claim rejected
Barraclough initially claimed he had acted in self-defence and alleged that he had been subjected to domestic abuse.
West Yorkshire Police said detectives found evidence that contradicted his account, including statements from friends and relatives describing him as controlling and manipulative towards Carolann.
CCTV footage also showed no visible injuries on Barraclough following the killing.
At the start of his trial at Leeds Crown Court earlier this week, he changed his plea and admitted murder.
Minimum term of more than 22 years
Barraclough was sentenced on Friday, October 9, to the mandatory life sentence.
He was told he must serve a minimum of 22 years and one month before he can be considered for release.
Detective Inspector Tom Hilyer, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said:
“David Barraclough is a very manipulative and calculating individual who not only brutally killed his wife but then went to extreme lengths to fabricate a defence that suggested he wasn’t responsible for what he had done.”
He said detectives had been able to disprove those claims and hoped the conclusion of the case would provide some comfort to Carolann’s family.
Family remember ‘bright light’
Carolann’s family described her as the “bright light” of their family and said her three children had been left facing life without their mother.
In a tribute, they said:
“Carolann, or Caz as we knew her, was the bright light of our family. She was always smiling and her joy was infectious.”
They described her as someone with a “massive heart” whose children were the centre of her world.
The family said:
“No verdict, sentence or passage of time can bring Caz back. Nothing can give her children back the years and memories they should have shared with their mum.”
