A man who stabbed his teenage girlfriend to death as she planned to return home to Canada has been handed a life prison sentence for the “brutal and cowardly” murder.
Jack Sepple, 23, stabbed 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth to death at the one-bedroom flat they shared in Chelmsford, Essex, on February 1.
The judge, the Honourable Mr Justice Murray, told Chelmsford Crown Court it was a “brutal and cowardly attack” and that Sepple “gratuitously inflicted some 90 wounds on her body”.
He said the pair met online when Ms Wadsworth was aged 12 and Sepple was around 15 and they had a long-distance relationship, but that Sepple had relationships with other women during this time.
You are a dangerous individual— Honourable Mr Justice Murray
The judge said Ms Wadsworth travelled to the UK on a six-month tourist visa while on a gap year shortly before Christmas 2021.
The court heard they bought a kitten together, called Winston, and a neighbour said they initially appeared happy together.
The judge said when the killing happened, Ms Wadsworth was soon to return to Canada and Sepple faced “imminent loss of control over her”.
He said that a week before her death, Ms Wadsworth had “indicated to her mother that things were not going well and she wanted to return to Canada”.
He sentenced Sepple to a life prison sentence with a minimum term of 23 years and six months, which he must serve before he can be considered for parole.
The judge told the defendant, of Tennyson Road in Chelmsford: “You are a dangerous individual.”
Sepple admitted to Ms Wadsworth’s murder at an earlier hearing and showed no reaction as he was sentenced on Monday.
Simon Spence KC, prosecuting, said that Sepple murdered Ms Wadsworth after being “angered by her decision to return prematurely to her home country of Canada”.
“He strangled and repeatedly stabbed Ashley and left her in the bed that they shared while he went about his daily business,” he said.
When police forced entry to the property they found Sepple on a FaceTime call to his sister “as he showed her the body”, Mr Spence said.
The barrister said that earlier that morning a neighbour heard a female scream.
The neighbour said Ms Wadsworth came to her and told her that Sepple “had beaten her up and thrown the kitten against the wall”.
The judge said that Ms Wadsworth was “hysterical” and said that Sepple was going to kill her.
Sepple apologised to Ms Wadsworth and was “calm” when the neighbour spoke to him, Mr Spence said, and the neighbour “went for a medical appointment and left at 9.30am”.
Police forced entry at 4.13pm after friends raised concerns for Ms Wadsworth’s safety.
The court heard Sepple told police “I went psychotic, I’m sorry”, adding “I strangled her and stabbed her.”
Justice today can prevent him from harming another woman or putting another family through this— Christy Gendron, Ashley Wadsworth's mother
He told officers this was “two to three hours ago”.
Mr Spence said that Sepple had “filmed himself on his mobile phone covered in Ashley’s blood apologising for what he had done – Ashley’s lifeless body was visible in the video”, with the footage recorded at around 12.45pm.
The prosecution counsel said Ms Wadsworth had injuries to her wrists, consistent with being defensive, and there were “in excess of 90 (wounds), all to the chest area”.
Mr Spence said Sepple has a “clear history of violent and controlling behaviour towards female partners”.
His previous convictions include harassment, breaching a restraining order by contacting a girl after she ended their online relationship, and an assault of his mother, the court heard.
The court hearing was scheduled in the afternoon to allow family members of Ms Wadsworth in Canada to follow proceedings online and Ms Wadsworth’s parents flew to England to attend the court in person.
Her mother Christy Gendron said in her victim impact statement that she “wasn’t too happy” about her daughter travelling to meet Sepple “but she was an adult so I couldn’t stop her”.
“Ashley’s passion and love for Jack would ultimately cost her her life,” she said.
Jack, you need to know and accept the brutality of what you’ve done and the neverending pain you’ve caused my family— Ken Wadsworth, Ashley Wadsworth’s father
“She tried to better him and even introduce him to religion.”
She added: “Justice today can prevent him from harming another woman or putting another family through this.”
Ms Wadsworth’s father Ken Wadsworth said he “didn’t want her to go to England” but “she didn’t like to be told anything bad about who she was dating”.
Addressing the defendant directly, Mr Wadsworth said: “Jack, you need to know and accept the brutality of what you’ve done and the neverending pain you’ve caused my family.”
Christopher Paxton KC, mitigating, said the murder happened amid “a breakdown of the relationship”.
He said that Sepple had admitted the murder.
Ms Wadsworth, originally from Vernon, British Columbia, was described in an earlier tribute from her family as a “kind” and “beautiful” woman.
They said she had found faith with the Mormon Church and had been accepted at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Colombia.
Her mother said in court: “This is a nightmare that thanks to you, Jack, we will never wake up from.”
