A man battered his wife to death with a lamp after racking up huge debts.
Mark Wheeler kept his money troubles secret from his partner Karen, then brutally murdered her and tried to kill himself at their flat in Birkenhead when threatened with bailiffs. The "much-loved mother" was also repeatedly stabbed during a prolonged assault, which began as she slept on a sofa and saw her subjected to dozens of blows at his hands.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Friday, that the couple began their relationship in 2007 before marrying seven years later. They lived in a 13th-storey unit in an apartment block on Vittoria Close and there had been "no history of domestic violence" - although Ms Wheeler reported that her husband "had begun to act in an insecure and needy way" in the months before her death.
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On the morning of May 11 this year, the 62-year-old returned home from a night shift - having been employed as a carer for assisted living residents by a housing association. She dozed off on a settee in the living room before her 52-year-old spouse began his attack as she slept.
Gordon Cole KC, prosecuting, described how she was subjected to a "sustained and very violent assault" and was repeatedly struck "with a heavy blunt object" - suffering at least 25 separate blows to her head. Under interview following his arrest, the killer described how he first bludgeoned her with a "heavy salt lamp with a wooden base" - an instrument which was later found covered in blood next to Ms Wheeler's body.
She was knocked unconscious but came around again at one stage and "asked what he was doing". The shop worker told her he "had to" kill her and was going to take his own life, and began hitting her again with the object.
Wheeler then left the room, but upon returning believed she had moved. As a result, he took a knife and began stabbing her "to make sure she was dead" before drinking whisky and attempting to take an overdose of tablets.
His suicide bid was unsuccessful, however. The following morning, he left the address in order to buy beer.
But Ms Wheeler's son David Bradley began to have growing concerns over her mum. He had been due to meet her in late afternoon on the day of her murder and went to the property shortly after 3.15pm, receiving no response.
Messages he left with her remained unread, and he also could not get in touch with Mark Wheeler. Mr Bradley returned to the flat at 6pm on May 12, but again did not get an answer.
He checked in with his mother's employer, but was told that she had been on rest days. After trying to call both parties once more "without success", he contacted the police shortly after 7pm and went back to the apartment.
Mr Bradley was let in by the murderer, who was "covered in blood". Ms Wheeler was "clearly dead on the floor with substantial head injuries", while the defendant was making comments about debts and that "the bailiffs were coming".
When officers attended the scene and arrested him, Wheeler said "he didn’t need a solicitor as he had killed his wife". He later added "he had had his hours cut at work and was in debt" while their credit cards had been maxed out, but he "did not want Karen to know".
A post-mortem investigation revealed that she had suffered fractures to the skull and facial bones, bleeding on the brain, stab wounds to the head, chest and shoulder and "defensive" injuries to her hands and arms. Stanley Reiz KC, defending, told the court that doctors concluded his client - who has no previous convictions - had been suffering an "acute stress reaction" after a receiving phone call telling him bailiffs would be visiting at 5pm that day.
Wheeler was described in references by his friends and family as "kind, considerate and thoughtful". Another added the he was a "good person who has made a terrible mistake".
Mr Reiz said: "This is a tragic but unusual case. The defendant was a law-abiding and hard-working man whose mental state became so fragile due to his financial difficulties that he had lost the will to live.
"What is unusual is Mr Wheeler, desperate and irrational, concluded his wife's life should be ended as well. There is no evidence of previous difficulties within their marriage.
"The evidence tends to suggest they were happily married and loved each other very much. It is very difficult for those who loved Karen Wheeler to understand and for the defendant to understand how their marriage ended in such a tragic way.
"He doesn't understand why he was thinking in that way at that time. He has had months to reflect on his behaviour and is devastated by what he has done.
"He still says good morning and goodnight to his wife. He says he loved her deeply and will never forgive himself for what he did to her.
"He knows he cannot undo what he has done and he knows he must be punished, but the remorse is profound and sincere. He believed what he was doing was in both their interests.
"He was very candid from the very beginning. He behaved in a way which was wholly out of character and very soon after regretted it immensely."
Wheeler admitted murder during an earlier hearing in August. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years and 10 months and told to pay a victim surcharge.
Sentencing, Judge Denis Watson KC said: "It is self-evident that no sentence that I can pass can restore her life. She was a loving wife to you and a much-loved mother.
"Her friends and family will always mourn her death. Some time in late 2021, you agreed to reduce your hours at work but did not tell your wife.
"You had a number of debts, and until this point you had been coping with your debts. But the loss of income led to debts becoming larger and unmanageable.
"Your stubbornness and pride meant that, rather than share your situation with her, you hid it from her and pretended nothing was wrong. You made no changes to your lifestyle, pretended to go out to work full-time hours and instead funded your expenditure on cards, a bank loan and overdraft - which proved unsustainable.
"Debt recovery agencies began to contact you, which included warnings that bailiffs may attend. As she slept, you made your decision to kill her - in your words to save her the stress of the bailiffs - and then to take your own life.
"This was extreme violence and led to extensive injuries. Your increased stress was really caused by your decision to conceal the truth about your debts from your wife.
"I accept your remorse is genuine and that your behaviour was out of character."
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