Northern Ireland

Woman on trial for stabbing her partner to death as he slept was recorded telling police the situation had gotten to the point where ‘I’m thinking it’s either him or me…'

Julie Ann McIlwaine is on trial accused of the murder of Jim Crossley March 2022.

Pacemaker Press 16-10-2024: Julie Ann McIlwaine pictured outside Coleraine Courthouse in Northern Ireland. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
Julie Ann McIlwaine. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

A woman on trial for the murder of her partner declined to give evidence on her own behalf on Wednesday as the Crown concluded its case against her.

Moments after prosecution KC Richard Weir formally closed the Crown case against self-confessed killer Julie Ann McIlwaine, defence KC Eilish McDermott confirmed the 33-year-old defendant “will not be giving evidence.”

She told the Coleraine Crown Court that while McIlwaine will not be taking the witness box, psychiatric evidence would be given by two experts on Thursday.

McIlwaine, from Hazel Close in the Lagmore area of west Belfast, is on trial accused of the murder of Jim Crossley on 2 March 2022.

The 38-year-old victim sustained fatal stab wounds at McIlwaine’s former home in Filbert Drive in Dunmurry.

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When he opened the case last week Mr Weir told the court if they are satisfied McIlwaine intended to kill or cause really serious harm they should convicted her of murder but if they are satisfied the defence of loss of self control is made out, they should convicted her of manslaughter.

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)
James Crossley

The jury have heard how McIlwaine and Crossley first began their relationship in January 2020 but that between then and the fatal stabbing around 23.30 on 1 March 2022, there had been periods of separation with incidents of domestic violence, coercive control and verbal abuse.

On Wednesday the jury heard transcripts of the last of the four police interviews detectives conducted with McIlwaine and four voice note recordings were also played in the court where the defendant had recorded a conversation with Crossley in February 2022.

McIlwaine had sent those voice note recordings to her friend and in the aftermath of his death detectives obtained the recordings.

When the recordings were played, McIlwaine sat sobbing in the dock, as she can be heard pleading with Crossley: “Just leave me alone, just get a taxi and go please.”

Crossley repeatedly refuses her crying pleas and is heard to threaten “I’ll burn this house down” and apparently referring to her children he declares: “Look at the state of them…look at the state of all your f****** kids…they’re the most ugliest kids I’ve ever seen.”

In a later recording where the couple’s baby is crying in the background, McIlwaine is still begging Crossley to “just leave the house” but he tells her “I’ll make sure you have f****** no kids…”

In her fourth and final police interview detectives put to McIlwaine a number of comments she made and which were recorded on officers’ body worn cameras when they attended her neighbour’s house.

McIlwaine was recorded telling police the situation had gotten to there point where “I’m thinking it’s either him or me…if I don’t get rid of him I have no way of escaping from him…it’s either him for me.”

They also put to her that she was recorded saying “it was like premeditated…I knew what I was doing…it was like there was no escape” but McIlwaine told the officers in the interview room “it was not premeditated.”

Emphasising to the jury how McIlwaine was “sobbing” at parts of the interview process, an officer quoted from the transcript how the defendant was recorded saying: “I didn’t plan to kill him. He is a horrible person, twisting things in my head about his solicitor and his family.

“I just couldn’t take any more. I would’ve ended up with nothing. I would’ve had no one and nothing - I felt that was the only option…I didn’t think he would’ve died…he would’ve ended up killing me - that was my only option.”