Wakefield man Tony Brooks has on Thursday been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of "beacon of light" Leeds woman Kirstie Ellis, 35.
Brooks, 36, will spend at least 24 years and nine months of his life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend of around two months at the time. Kirstie's body was not found at her home in Stanhall Mews, Stanningley, for more than seven weeks after her murder when Brooks told police there was a body there on March 25.
During that time Kirstie's body was left upstairs in her bath, Brooks returned to her house on more than one occasion. He took at least a TV and a sound bar and sold them on, and also later took her bank card and withdrew over £1,500 from her account.
Read more: How Leeds' 'antisocial alley' is hurting 'scared' punters and bar owners
Kirstie and Brooks, of Agbrigg Road, Wakefield, began a relationship in December 2021. Judge Bayliss KC, sentencing at Leeds Crown Court on November 3, said he was satisfied Brooks had been "controlling and manipulative" of Kirstie and had subjected her to domestic violence before he killed her.
Brooks had also begun a relationship with another woman. On February 1 2022, his second girlfriend had driven him to Kirstie's house in Stanhall Mews, which she told police she believed to be his.
Once there, Brooks is thought to have launched an attack on Kirstie that left blood spattered around her living room, prosecutor Christopher Moran told the court. In a brief lull, Kirstie went upstairs and got in the bath, but Brooks fetched a dressing gown cord and HDMI cable and strangled her to death with them while stuffing two socks and a lint roller into her throat.
He left her body in the bath.
Mr Moran described Kirstie's death as "particularly painful, torturous, and frightening", arguing Brooks' behaviour may perhaps be described as "sadistic". He added that Brooks had demonstrated " a complete lack of remorse" in his actions after Kirstie's death.
The court heard how Brooks then called his other girlfriend to pick him up, and emerged from the house with blood on him and carrying a TV, which he then sold on. In the following weeks he left Kirstie's body to decompose, he returned to her home and took a number of other items, including a sound bar, which he sold on, and her bank card.
He used the bank card and her PIN number to withdraw a total of £1,554.50 from her account, and also encouraged others to pay into the account. Meanwhile, Brooks had logged into Kirstie's Facebook Messenger account, and was using it to contact her friends pretending to be her.
He asked Kirstie's friends whether they wanted to meet up with 'her boyfriend', and sent pictures of himself.
In March, he was being interviewed by West Yorkshire Police in relation to a burglary, when he told detectives in a 'shocking admission', that he knew of a murder committed by a drug dealer at the property. A murder investigation was launched when officers found Kirstie's body on March 25.
Brooks originally tried to blame her murder on others, and pleaded guilty only to manslaughter at a pre-trial hearing in April. He changed his plea to guilty to murder in October and Mr Abdul Iqbal KC, mitigating, said he had also written a letter apologising for his actions.
Judge Bayliss described Brooks' actions as "abhorrent" as he delivered his sentencing remarks, saying: "I'm quite sure your expression of remorse is disingenuous."
He added: "You left her body and it wasn't discovered for some seven weeks. During that time you used her social media account to persuade people she was still alive."
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Helen Steele, said: “Brooks is a callous and nasty individual whose brutal actions robbed Kirstie of her life and have left her family absolutely devastated.
“He displayed a complete disregard for her in the weeks that followed her murder, as she lay undiscovered while he sold off items of her property taken from the address.
“We conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation into Kirstie’s death which built up a strong evidential picture of Brooks’ involvement and saw him admit his guilt without her family having to endure the added emotional strain that a trial inevitably brings.
“While nothing can ever undo the pain that Brooks’ actions have caused them, we hope Kirstie’s family can take some small measure of comfort from knowing he has now been held responsible and sent to prison.”
Kirstie's younger sister Hannah Kitson read out a victim impact statement to the court describing the devastating effects on Kirstie's family. She described Kirstie as "a loving and caring person. She had a heart of gold," Hannah continued. "Which was full of love. A love she shared with everyone she could."
Her parents Vicky and John have also issued a statement, saying: "“We extend our thanks to the police officers who worked closely with the family for their care and attention to detail, and for keeping us informed of developments in the case as best as they possibly could.
"They have been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and we could not have made it through any of this without them. The entire ordeal has been a living nightmare for the family, and we’d like to praise the police for their kindness and understanding. They have done a brilliant job under difficult circumstances, and now hopefully the public, and especially women, can breathe a huge sigh of relief that our communities are now safer with this murderer no longer roaming our streets.
“Our daughter Kirstie was a beacon of light to all those who were fortunate enough to have known her and who wanted to raise the awareness of domestic abuse after suffering through it herself.
“The problem of abuse has never gone away but is there hidden in plain sight behind closed doors, and now we unfortunately have lost our precious daughter and baby girl Kirstie to it.
“We remember Kirstie as a vibrant soul, Kirstie loved a drink, to dance and sing the night away. Kirstie's light will now forever shine bright in our family, among our friends and in all those who knew Kirstie's happiness. She will always be remembered for her sense of fun and joy, which has guided us through these troubling times."
Read next:
Police update after human body parts 'found in skip' at Leeds recycling plant
Leeds woman had to call ambulance after youths lobbed concrete at her house
New dentist specialising in 'affordable' treatments opening in Leeds
Leeds Trinity open up library as 'warm space' as cost of living crisis deepens
