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Man beat girlfriend to death on Christmas Day as she watched TV

A man who beat his girlfriend to death on Christmas Day as she watched TV has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Yahya Aboukar, 27, was in a relationship with 29-year-old Kirsty Louise Ashley when he “violently” assaulted her on Christmas Day 2021 as they watched TV in bed.

Just before midnight on Boxing Day, police were then called to the address in Earlham Grove, Newham.

Inside the property, officers found signs of struggle in Aboukar’s bedroom, including a barbell weight, a claw hammer and clothing all stained with blood.

Aboukar had fled officers by jumping out of a bedroom window. He was eventually caught and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Officers found Ms Ashley’s body in a black bag in the garden, leading to Aboukar’s further arrest on suspicion of murder.

CCTV enquiries by homicide officers later showed Aboukar dragging Ms Ashley’s body into the garden.

The injuries were mainly to her face and head, causing fractures and haemorrhages. Injuries to her hand indicated that she had tried to shield herself from the blows.

A neuropathologist summarised that she had been repeatedly struck in the face with a very heavy object, such as the barbell or the claw hammer. 

He believed that she would not have survived more than 30 minutes after the attack.  

Kirsty Louise Ashley had known Aboukar since 2020 (Metropolitan Police)© Provided by The Independent

A post-mortem examination took place on 27 December at East Ham Mortuary and concluded that Ms Ashley was beaten to death.

Ms Ashley and Aboukar had known each other since 2020 and were in a “relationship of sorts”, the Metropolitan Police said.

During the trial, Aboukar’s defence was that he “lost control” and he offered a guilty plea to manslaughter.

In his police interview, Aboukar claimed that he and Ms Ashley had spent Christmas Day watching TV in bed but began to argue.

He claimed that Ms Ashley had become violent, at which point he had hit her twice. He claimed that she struck her head on the barbell as she fell.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, the jury found him not guilty of murder but convicted him of manslaughter. He will be sentenced next Friday.

Detective inspector Francis Copley of the Met’s specialist crime command said: “Kirsty Ashley weighed just 8st 2lbs; she was no match for Aboukar and could not defend herself against him.”

Mr Copley added: “The attack launched on Kirsty by Aboukar was incredibly brutal. There can be no justification for this level of violence and it is right that he will now pay for his actions with his freedom.

"My thoughts are very much with Kirsty's family today.” 

Reference: Independent: Story by Thomas Kingsley