Ellie Gould: teen jailed for murdering 17-year-old girlfriend

Thomas Griffith stabbed his girl 13 occasions, and attempted to manage their monitors by throwing facts and texting the woman cell.

By Dan Whitehead, information correspondent and Chris Robertson, news reporter

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An adolescent just who stabbed his 17-year-old girl to demise in a “brutal” and “horrific” kill has-been jailed forever with the very least name of 12 years and half a year.

Thomas Griffiths, 18, acknowledge he’d slain Ellie Gould at her family home in Calne, Wiltshire on 3 May 2019 – a single day after she ended their particular union.

Griffiths strangled Ellie and stabbed her in the neck 13 hours, before setting the blade in her own submit an endeavor to really make the wounds check self-inflicted.

Griffiths – who had been 17 during the killing – attempted to cover-up their steps by throwing facts and texting Ellie’s phone, despite understanding she got dead, Bristol top judge heard.

Ellie – a passionate horse rider – was a student in their first 12 months of sixth-form together with aspirations of joining the mounted authorities.

In sentencing, Mr fairness Garnham said: “for some months, you’re sweetheart and girlfriend. On about will 2, she had decided to conclude that partnership.

“What matters usually she got labeled as a stop toward union as she was actually completely entitled to manage. You say you’re disturb by that.

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“in my own view, you used to be a great deal more than upset.”

Mr Garnham included that he wouldn’t accept Griffiths’ profile of events the set had debated during a research treatment, stating: “both you and your alone know exactly what happened that time.

“exactly what is obvious usually eventually, you add your hands around Ellie’s throat and tried to throttle the girl.”

“She tried frantically to combat back, scraping at your neck along the way. You did n’t have the sense, or perhaps the decency, to quit. Instead, you picked up a kitchen blade.

“Then you performed probably the most appalling attack about defenceless lady, repeatedly stabbing the woman on the face and neck.

“The pain and terror she must have endured within her finally minutes, since your stressful blade combat carried on, is actually beyond imagining.

“Not able to face up to that which you got complete, you then experimented with mask this awful crime.

“First, & most chillingly, your left Ellie on to the ground making use of the blade embedded in her own neck and her left hand across the handle on the knife.

“I have undoubtedly you organized the scene to ensure that it would appear to those people that discover Ellie that she was indeed killed, perhaps not by another person, but rather by her own hands or perhaps in some bad collision.”

The judge mentioned that Ellie’s grandfather have in the beginning considered that the injuries have been self-inflicted.

“there may be no further terrible world for parent to ponder than whatever confronted Ellie’s dad when he came home that time from work.

Speaking-to Griffiths, the guy extra: “the consequence of behavior has not yet https://datingreviewer.net/escort/peoria/ best gone to snuff out of the longevity of this brilliant, intelligent, gifted and lively young woman together with her whole life before the woman, but in addition to cause misery and heartbreak on the relatives and buddies.”

Before, in an individual report to the court, Ms Gould’s mom mentioned that no moms and dad should ever before need certainly to hold their unique lifeless girl’s “cooler palms” as she performed.

The statement furthermore mentioned that Ms Gould have “welcomed the defendant within their household, sat your across dinning table

celebrated a 17th birthday celebration with him much less than 90 days afterwards noticed he had murdered their own child.”

She added that loss of her girl played consistently on the attention and Mr Gould said his child’s passing remaining him experience “helpless, bare and sour”.

In mitigation, Sasha Wass QC, representing the defendant, asserted that Griffiths ended up being an “exceptional” scholar, and this he’d competed in state and worldwide sports games.

She included that Griffiths had been “presented with a number of stressful lifestyle activities,” which included family maladies and examination concerns.

In a page on legal, the 18-year-old apologised for his actions, stating: “All I feel is actually guilt for Ellie along with her group when I got such an unique daughter and sis from the all of them.”

Griffiths bowed their mind as their phrase was passed.