Michelle Spencer killed David Butterfield with a single stab wound (Picture: SWNS)

A hairdresser who stabbed her partner to death subjected him to a campaign of domestic violence that he never reported, police have said.

Michelle Spencer was due to go on trial over the murder of David Butterfield, but changed her plea to guilty before the trial started on Wednesday.

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The 48-year-old was jailed for 13 years for stabbing her 43-year-old partner in the chest with a kitchen knife.

After the sentencing, detective inspector Ben McDonald said West Yorkshire Police’s investigation uncovered a history of domestic violence inflicted by Spencer on Mr Butterfield and ex-partners.


However, the violence was never reported to police.

Spencer had subjected Mr Butterfield and other boyfriends to domestic violence (Picture: SWNS)

The court heard she would describe the victim as the ‘kindest man’ (Picture: SWNS)

Det Insp McDonald said: ‘Mr Butterfield had suffered domestic abuse at the hands of his partner and ultimately paid the price for the fact that these incidents were never reported to the police.



‘No one, women or men, should suffer domestic violence and I would encourage victims of such incidents to contact the police or Victim Support as soon as possible.’

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Leeds Crown Court heard that the mother-of-two killed Mr Butterfield at their home in Shirley Terrace, Gomersall, West Yorkshire, in January.

Sentencing her, Mr Justice Soole said: ‘This was an utterly unprovoked assault with a knife on your innocent partner.

‘In a sudden outburst of unreasoned anger you deliberately stabbed him once and with very considerable force, causing his almost immediate death.

She was jailed for 13 years (Picture: SWNS)

‘As the agreed basis of plea records, you were preparing food and for that purpose had a knife in your hand.

‘As he came towards you, you suddenly and deliberately stabbed him with this knife, which penetrated through his clothing, through a rib and into his heart.’

The court heard that Spencer had initially lied about the murder, claiming Mr Butterfield returned home having already been stabbed at a shop.

Michelle Colborne QC, defending, said Spencer had struggled to grasp what she had done and always described Mr Butterfield as the ‘kindest, most loving man’.