Northern Ireland

Man stabbed and killed by partner was on bail for ‘domestic incident’, court told

Pacemaker Press 08-10-2024: Murder accused Julie Ann McIlwaine pictured outside Antrim Court house. Picture By: /Pacemaker Press. Copy by Paul Higgins. 07973157553 Pics by Pacemaker. 07774179710 Thurs 10 Oct Õ24 An alleged victim of domestic abuse Òwaited until he was sleepingÓ before stabbing her abusive partner in the chest and abdomen, a jury heard today (thurs). The Coleraine Crown Court jury also heard that in the aftermath of Julie Ann McIlwaine stabbing James Crossley on 2 March 2022, the 33-year-old told police ÒheÕs torturing me, I have had enough, I waited until he was asleep and then stabbed him.Ó Prosecuting KC Richard Weir told the five men and eight women that 33-year-old McIlwaine Òlater said Ôwhat have I doneÕÓ and when she was told her 38-year-old partner had died in hospital, she declared Òplease God noÓ and was physically sick. McIlwaine, from Hazel Close in the Lagmore area of west Belfast, is charged that on 2 March 2022, she murdered James Joseph Crossley. The 38-year-old victim sustained fatal stab wounds at McIlwaineÕs former home in Filbert Drive and formally opening the Crown case today (thurs), Mr Weir told the jury there was broad agreement about the facts of the case but they would have to decide whether the defendant had suffered a loss of control. He said while trial judge Mr Justice Kinney would explain the minutiae of the legal defence Òmuch more exquisitely than I have,Ó he told them the defendant would have satisfy them that her Òacts and omissions in doing or being party to the killing resulted from the defendantÕs loss of control, the loss of self-control had a qualifying trigger and whether a person of the defendantÕs sex and age, with a normal degree of tolerance and self-restraint and in the circumstances of the defendant might have acted in the same way.Ó Mr Weir told the jury that if they were so satisfied, Òthat leads to a verdict of manslaughter.Ó Turning to the backgrounds facts of what happened, the senior barrister described how it was defendant herself who made a 999 call at 23.47, telling the operator that she had Òlocked herself in the downstairs bathroom with her baby and that she had stabbed her boyfriend at least six times.Ó The call handler advised her to seek help from a neighbour and Mr Weir told the jury they would hear evidence that McIlwaine was banging and ÒscreamingÓ at her neighbourÕs door and when they opened it, they saw she was Òcovered in bloodÓ and she told them ÒIÕve stabbed him.Ó The 999 operator told the neighbour to go next door and when he did, he saw Mr Crossley Òlying on the floor, on all fours and he described how there was blood all over him.Ó McIlwaine told her neighbours ÒheÕs torturing me, I have had enough, I waited until he was sleeping and then I stabbed himÓ and she also kept asking Òis he dead, is he dead.Ó Mr Weir said McIlwaine also told them Mr Crossley was forcing her to choose Òbetween her family and me, thatÕs what he said to her.Ó ÒMr Crossley had sustained a number of stab wounds and had lost as great deal of blood,Ó the senior barrister told the court, adding that despite the Òbest effortsÓ of police and paramedics at the scene and emergency doctors at the RVH, the victim was sadly pronounced dead at 00.48, just over an hour since the initial 999 call. A most mortem examination found that the cause of death was seven stab wounds to his chest and abdomen and further that the wounds were consistent with a knife found in the bedroom, a knife which matched similar knives in a block of knives in the kitchen. McIlwaine spoke to police at the scene and she told them how the couple had reconciled the previous January but since that time, Mr Crossley had allegedly been abusive to her and was Òmaking her choose between her family and him.Ó She told police Òit was like premeditatedÉI knew what I was doingÉI couldnÕt take it any moreÉhe is a horrible person.Ó During later interviews with detectives McIlwaine claimed her dead partner had been subjecting her to Òmental torture,Ó had threatened to reveal the rekindling of the relationship to her family and that Òshe would not see her children again.Ó While the defence case is that the killing resulted from a loss of control, Mr Weir submitted that Òwe say when you have heard all of the evidence in this case, you will be satisfied to the requisite standard that she murdered James Crossley.Ó The trial continues. At hearing. MTF (depending on what evidence is heard after lunch)
Murder accused Julie Ann McIlwaine pictured outside Antrim court house
By Paul Higgins

A man stabbed and killed by his partner was on bail for a “domestic incident” at the time of his death, a jury has heard.

The Coleraine Crown Court jury also heard that just hours before Julie Ann McIlwaine killed her abusive partner James Crossley, she left a voice message on a detective’s phone saying she wanted to withdraw her statement because she couldn’t “face going back to court”.

Giving evidence on the second day of the trial of 33-year-old McIlwaine, an officer from the PSNI Domestic Violence section told the jury that when she switched on her work phone on March 2, there was a voice message from the defendant.

Prosecution KC Richard Weir suggested the message was to the effect that McIlwaine “wanted to make a withdrawal statement about a domestic incident you were investigating from October 2021 between her and the deceased” and the officer agreed “yes”.

“She didn’t want to face gong back to court, at the moment they were not in contact and James was going to work with social workers and child contact,” the senior barrister further suggested and the officer agreed.

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Defence KC Eilish McDermott asked the officer during cross examination if it was common for complainants in domestic violence cases to withdraw their statements and the officer told her “its a mix - some do and some don’t”.

They told Ms McDermott she would have met McIlwaine to ascertain why she wanted to make a withdrawal statement but the jury heard that by the time she got the voicemail, Mr Crossley was already dead.

PACEMAKER BELFAST A jury were sworn in today to hear the trial of a woman who admits killing her allegedly abusive and controlling partner but denies his murder. Swearing in a jury for the trial of Julie Ann McIlwaine at Antrim Crown Court, Mr Justice Kinney told them Òit is likely in the course of the trial that you will hear evidence in relation to domestic violence or domestic abuse.Ó The victim, James Joseph Crossley, was in McIlwaineÕs home Òwhen he was killed,Ó said the judge adding that the 33-year-old defendant Òacknowledges and accepts that she caused his injuries from which he then died.Ó 10/10/204 Copy by Paul Higgins. 07973157553 Pics by Pacemaker. 07774179710 Thurs 10 Oct Õ24 An alleged victim of domestic abuse Òwaited until he was sleepingÓ before stabbing her abusive partner in the chest and abdomen, a jury heard today (thurs). The Coleraine Crown Court jury also heard that in the aftermath of Julie Ann McIlwaine stabbing James Crossley on 2 March 2022, the 33-year-old told police ÒheÕs torturing me, I have had enough, I waited until he was asleep and then stabbed him.Ó Prosecuting KC Richard Weir told the five men and eight women that 33-year-old McIlwaine Òlater said Ôwhat have I doneÕÓ and when she was told her 38-year-old partner had died in hospital, she declared Òplease God noÓ and was physically sick. McIlwaine, from Hazel Close in the Lagmore area of west Belfast, is charged that on 2 March 2022, she murdered James Joseph Crossley. The 38-year-old victim sustained fatal stab wounds at McIlwaineÕs former home in Filbert Drive and formally opening the Crown case today (thurs), Mr Weir told the jury there was broad agreement about the facts of the case but they would have to decide whether the defendant had suffered a loss of control. He said while trial judge Mr Justice Kinney would explain the minutiae of the legal defence Òmuch more exquisitely than I have,Ó he told them the defendant would have satisfy them that her Òacts and omissions in doing or being party to the killing resulted from the defendantÕs loss of control, the loss of self-control had a qualifying trigger and whether a person of the defendantÕs sex and age, with a normal degree of tolerance and self-restraint and in the circumstances of the defendant might have acted in the same way.Ó Mr Weir told the jury that if they were so satisfied, Òthat leads to a verdict of manslaughter.Ó Turning to the backgrounds facts of what happened, the senior barrister described how it was defendant herself who made a 999 call at 23.47, telling the operator that she had Òlocked herself in the downstairs bathroom with her baby and that she had stabbed her boyfriend at least six times.Ó The call handler advised her to seek help from a neighbour and Mr Weir told the jury they would hear evidence that McIlwaine was banging and ÒscreamingÓ at her neighbourÕs door and when they opened it, they saw she was Òcovered in bloodÓ and she told them ÒIÕve stabbed him.Ó The 999 operator told the neighbour to go next door and when he did, he saw Mr Crossley Òlying on the floor, on all fours and he described how there was blood all over him.Ó McIlwaine told her neighbours ÒheÕs torturing me, I have had enough, I waited until he was sleeping and then I stabbed himÓ and she also kept asking Òis he dead, is he dead.Ó Mr Weir said McIlwaine also told them Mr Crossley was forcing her to choose Òbetween her family and me, thatÕs what he said to her.Ó ÒMr Crossley had sustained a number of stab wounds and had lost as great deal of blood,Ó the senior barrister told the court, adding that despite the Òbest effortsÓ of police and paramedics at the scene and emergency doctors at the RVH, the victim was sadly pronounced dead at 00.48, just over an hour since the initial 999 call. A most mortem examination found that the cause of death was seven stab wounds to his chest and abdomen and further that the wounds were consistent with a knife found in the bedroom, a knife which matched similar knives in a block of knives in the kitchen. McIlwaine spoke to police at the scene and she told them how the couple had reconciled the previous January but since that time, Mr Crossley had allegedly been abusive to her and was Òmaking her choose between her family and him.Ó She told police Òit was like premeditatedÉI knew what I was doingÉI couldnÕt take it any moreÉhe is a horrible person.Ó During later interviews with detectives McIlwaine claimed her dead partner had been subjecting her to Òmental torture,Ó had threatened to reveal the rekindling of the relationship to her family and that Òshe would not see her children again.Ó While the defence case is that the killing resulted from a loss of control, Mr Weir submitted that Òwe say when you have heard all of the evidence in this case, you will be satisfied to the requisite standard that she murdered James Crossley.Ó The trial continues. At hearing. MTF (depending on what evidence is heard after lunch)
Jim Crossley

McIlwaine, a mother-of-four from Hazel Close in the Lagmore area of west Belfast, is on trial accused of the murder of James Joseph Crossley on March 2 2022.

The 38-year-old victim sustained 10 stab wounds at McIlwaine’s former home in Filbert Drive inn Dunmurry and while McIlwaine admits she inflicted the fatal wounds, she claims she was the victim of domestic abuse and violence and that Mr Crossley was forcing her to “choose between” him and her family.

The jury heard how it was McIlwaine herself who rang 999 and then went next door to her neighbours house to summon help.

Footage taken from officers’ body worn cameras was played to the jury on Friday.

It showed a clearly distressed McIlwaine in her neighbour’s living room, wearing pyjamas, holding her head in her hands and rocking back and forth while a female police officer repeatedly tells her “Julie Ann, look at me, look at me” and tries to help her control her breathing.

“What have I done, what have I done,” a weeping McIlwaine can be heard asking, “I just felt like I had no choice, I’m so sorry”.

A number of agreed statements were also read to the jury including one from Michael Gallagher who lived next door to McIlwaine and who was the first to see the fatally injured Mr Crossley.

McIlwaine had been “banging” on his door seeking help and he recorded in his statement that he was reticent to go into her house because his brother had told him “James had been in prison for beating Julie Ann”.

“I was worried about her,” said Mr Gallagher in the statement, “I assumed that James had done something and she had defended herself but when I got in it didn’t look like that but I don’t know, I’m not an expert.”

The trial continues.