Somerset woman ‘killed partner who said she was a ”nutter”‘ by hurling a knife into his chest’

A 31-year-old woman ‘threw’ a large kitchen knife at her partner who had once told friends she was a ‘nutter but the sex is really good’, a jury heard.

Hayley Keating is alleged to have stabbed her partner of three years, Matthew Wormleighton, 45, at their home in Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil, Somerset.

Mr Wormleighton died after the knife lodged four inches into his chest during an incident fuelled by drink and drugs at their home in May last year.

The jury was told the couple met in 2018 and Mr Wormleighton told friends that she was a ‘nutter but the sex was really good’.

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In 2018, Hayley Keating, 31, met Mathew Wormleighton, who once told friends that she was a ‘nutter but the sex was really good’. Keating is believed to have stabbed her partner of three years in May last year – resulting in his death

Prosecutor Miss Jo Martin, QC, told the Bristol Crown Court that she had killed her partner with a knife she had taken from the kitchen. 

She said: ‘There was a single wound to his chest. The large kitchen knife that she used went into his chest to a depth of 10 centimetres.’  

Keating immediately rang the emergency services afterwards saying that she had stabbed him.

But Miss Martin said ‘that may not be right’ as Keating now says ‘she threw the knife in his direction, she does not know how he became injured, and she cannot remember what happened’.

The jury now needs to consider how the knife ended up in the father-of-two’s chest to a depth of 10cm, whether she threw it or held it in her hand as she stabbed him, Miss Martin added. 

Mr Wormleighton (left) suffered a four-inch stab wound to the chest in May last year. Keating (right) initially told emergency services she had stabbed him and later changed her story to say she had ‘threw’ the knife in his direction

At the time of the incident, Keating was ‘angry and upset’ because Mr Wormleighton was ‘trying to leave her’, the court heard. 

The mother-of-two claims that Mr Wormleighton was violent towards her both in the past and on the night in question which ‘frightened her’. 

The jury was told that the victim was controlling and coercive towards Keating who the prosecution say may suffer from a mental illness which leads to an inability to maintain self control.

Mr Wormleighton had two previous significant relationships and neither woman said he was violent or controlling but ‘caring, generous and a loveable rogue’.

Keating was described as being ‘funny, entertaining and kind’ but ‘over the top’ in her behaviour and both of them used alcohol and cocaine and suffered with depression.

Keating denies murder and her trial continues.