Jealous husband who feared wife was leaving jailed after killing her and stabbing himself

Jealous husband who feared wife was leaving jailed after killing her and stabbing himself Michael Davies, 57, has been jailed for murdering wife Tracey after thinking she was going to leave him - he then took an overdose and stabbed himself before a horrified relative found them both A man who strangled his wife to death after thinking she might leave him has been jailed. Former soldier Michael Davies, 58, of Cefn Road, Bridgend, killed his wife Tracey Davies on April 18, 2025. He was today told he would spend at least 14 years in prison for her murder. Davies, who worked away in Abu Dhabi, had returned home to Cefn Cribwr due to poor mental health. Newport Crown Court heard how he had become increasingly paranoid and feared his wife of one year would leave him. Emergency services were called by a member of the family who had gone to check on the couple after not hearing from them for 24 hours. Upon entering their home on Bryn Terrace, Cefn Cribwr, the relative found Tracey dead in the bedroom and Davies unconscious with stab injuries. At the time it was a week after he had returned from the Middle East. Paramedics rushed to the scene but Tracey was pronounced dead, while her husband was taken to hospital for treatment. He was later arrested on suspicion of murder. Former soldier Davies was today jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years. A postmortem found Tracey had died as a result of strangulation. The defendant was released from hospital a week later and admitted to police in an interview that he strangled his wife, but did not give any explanation why. After killing her, he took an overdose before stabbing himself. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, having been assessed as suffering from depressive disorder and anxiety at the time of the offence. The jury heard evidence from three forensic psychiatrists who agreed he was suffering from a “depressive disorder with anxiety” but disagreed on the severity. After deliberating all the evidence, the jury determined that he did not have the defence of diminished responsibility and they returned a guilty verdict for the charge of murder. The court heard the pair each had two children from previous relationships and met in 2021. They married in 2024. Mrs Davies’s daughter, Danielle Young, told the court in a victim impact statement that her family would never come to terms with losing her mother. “Losing mum in such a horrendous and violent way has affected us so much in our everyday lives,” she said. Knowing that she would have been terrified and confused as she was killed is a thought that will continue to haunt us as a family. “These are images that we will never be able to erase from our minds. To hear and see the graphic details of how she was killed by the person she loved has been a complete torment to us. “As a family, we will always be tormented by the thoughts of mum’s final moments as she left this world. We as a family do not believe that Michael has shown any genuine remorse for what he did to mum or for the suffering that has caused us all. Not one ounce of emotion came from him in the courtroom. A man I thought I once knew has ruined our lives.” Mrs Davies’s younger sister, Julie Reeve, told the court: “My sister really was the anchor that held our family together. Without her I feel like this family is completely broken. “The last 18 months I have experienced the flashbacks and nightmares of what my sister experienced at the hands of Michael before she died. I am tormented by the thought that she would have struggled and would have been so petrified as she was killed by Michael. “Michael, I think you’re a coward for doing what you did. “Michael, your actions have taken a mother away from her children, a sister away from her siblings, an auntie away from her nieces and nephews and a friend away from those who knew and loved her.” David Elias KC, defending, said Davies had shown remorse because he had accepted in police interviews killing his wife. “The reason that there was a trial was that the first two psychiatrists, one instructed by the defence and one by the prosecution, indicated that the partial defence of diminished responsibility was available to Mr Davies,” he said. “In the end, of course, the jury found that that was not proved to the requisite standard.” Mr Elias added: “He is a man that served his country with distinction in the armed forces for many years. “But more than that, he was, until the days we submit prior to this offending, a man who everyone spoke about as being kind, considerate, a family man, and someone who did his best to bring the families together whenever it was that he returned to the UK.” Passing sentence, Judge Daniel Williams said no sentence he could pass would ever be enough for the family of Mrs Davies. “In early 2025, you were in Abu Dhabi when you learnt that your work would be coming to an end,” he said. “This triggered a decline in your mental health. You feared that you would not be able to repay a loan which you had taken out. You would ruminate and catastrophise about the consequences of being out of work. “You thought that you would become less attractive to Tracey who had once regarded you as her saviour. Tracey herself had obtained work at this time, and you became highly insecure and jealous about her working with other men.” The judge said he did not accept that Davies was “telling the whole truth” about the murder. “The truth is that you could not shake off your fear that Tracey was going to leave you for someone else,” he said. “Tracey’s work was a source of insecurity and resentment. You have never said what caused you to kill Tracey. “I’m sure that there was a trigger. Whether something was said or done or whether that trigger, external or in your mind, is something that only you know. “And you’re keeping that to yourself. The fact is that your anger, born of insecurity, and exacerbated by mental illness, got the better of you. And you strangled Tracey to death.” He added: “I’m deeply conscious that no sentence, expressed as it must be in years and days, will reconcile Tracey Davies’ family and friends to their loss. “Their grief has no release date.” Detective Chief Inspector Claire Lamerton of South Wales Police said: “This is an awful case that has deeply affected not only the immediate family but also the wider community who knew Tracey Davies. "During the trial it was highlighted that Tracey Davies was a devoted wife, mother, stepmother, and step-grandmother, and she would do anything for anyone and was nothing but a supportive and loving wife to Mr Davies. "We extend our sincere condolences to Tracey’s family and all those who have been affected and hope that this verdict will allow the family time to properly grieve the loss of Tracey." Tracey’s family paid the following tribute: "Tracey really was a truly extraordinary woman, she had a fierce spirit and boundless compassion. “She was a devoted mother, a cherished sister, a loyal friend, a loving cousin and aunty and a truly radiant presence whose laughter could light up any room. “Her children were her greatest pride, and she fought for them with unmatched devotion. Tracey is so loved and missed. We will always remember her.” - For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. - For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk.