Yorkshire husband jailed for at least 21 years for murdering wife
David Barraclough, 46, pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, Carolann, and was jailed for a minimum of 21 years and six months. A judge said Barraclough’s claim that he had acted after years of domestic abuse was a self-serving cover story, and the case showed how he deceived his family after the killing.
The court heard that he struck the 37-year-old mother of three with a claw hammer at their Horbury home on 20 February, then bound and hid her body in a chest freezer. He sent messages from her phone to make her daughter believe she was in hospital, while spending his wife’s money and searching for escorts. On 5 March, he walked into a police station and confessed; his wife’s sister said he had gradually isolated Carolann from her family.
- David Barraclough received a minimum sentence of 21 years and six months.
- He concealed his wife’s death and used her phone to deceive her daughter.
- The judge rejected his claim that he acted after years of abuse.
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David Barraclough killed his wife, Carolann, at their Horbury home on 20 February. She was a 37-year-old mother of three who was struck with a claw hammer, and her body was then hidden in a freezer in the family home.
After the killing, Barraclough sent messages from his wife's phone to make her daughter believe Carolann was in hospital. He also spent money from her accounts and searched for other companionship whilst keeping her death secret.
Barraclough confessed when he walked into a police station on 5 March. Those close to the case said he had isolated his wife from her family over time, demonstrating a pattern of control within the marriage.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Moment husband walks into police station and admits ‘I have killed my wife’ after he battered her to death with a hammer and dumped body in a chest freezer at family home”.