Man jailed for life after stabbing wife to death and hiding her body in Lewisham attic

A man has been jailed for life after he admitted stabbing his wife to death and leaving the body in his attic.

Shane Simmonds, 39, had walked into a Lewisham police station in south London in the early hours of January 3 and told officers that he had killed his wife at their home.

Officers went to the property in Parbury Road and found the body of a 32-year-old Tia Simmonds in the converted attic covered with clothing.

The kitchen knife that had been used to stab her was found in their bedroom.

A special post-mortem examination confirmed Ms Simmonds had died from stab wounds.

On Monday, Simmonds pleaded guilty of her murder on what would have been the first day of his trial at the Old Bailey.

His lawyer Jonathan Higgs KC said: “It’s a very disturbing case and one that remains in terms of his motivation very largely unexplained.”

Previously, Simmonds had admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility which was not accepted by the prosecution.

He had also admitted two counts of rape in relation to a separate female, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

On Thursday, he was sentenced by Old Bailey Judge Philip Katz KC to life in prison with a minimum term of 32 years for murder.

He was handed 12 years in jail for each rape charge to run concurrently with the life sentence.

Detective Superintendent Matt Webb, of Scotland Yard , said: “This was a callous and brutal murder which, due to Simmonds’ actions, was clearly premeditated.

“He drugged his wife before attacking her with a knife; there was no opportunity for her to defend herself.

“He then left the home and was seen buying cleaning products and replacement bedding in an attempt to hide his crime.

“The overwhelming evidence against him, and his own confession back in January, left Simmonds with no other option but to plead guilty.

“He faces a lengthy prison sentence but the impact of his actions that day will last a lifetime for Tia’s family and friends.”