Robert Alexander, 66, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years after being convicted of murdering his wife, retired nurse Christina Alexander, 60, at their home in Tamworth. He stabbed her 77 times and inflicted blunt force trauma with a dog food can as she was about to leave their six-year marriage in June last year, after which he told police he had "disposed of" her. The case, heard at Stafford Crown Court, highlighted a prolonged pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour, underlining the dangers faced by women attempting to leave abusive partners.

A 14-day trial found Christina Alexander suffered catastrophic injuries and signs of strangulation, with prosecutors describing a background of sustained violence and financial control; Alexander had a prior battery conviction against her and she had told police a year earlier she was living under constant threat. He self-harmed twice in the days before the killing, which the prosecution called "purely manipulative," then tricked her into thinking he was still in hospital before ambushing her with a knife. Judge Avik Mukherjee said he was satisfied Alexander intended to kill his wife, rejecting his claim that a late autism diagnosis explained his violence, while her brother described the devastating impact of her death on their family.