‘A very disturbing case’: Man admits murdering wife on first day of trial

A man accused of stabbing his wife to death has changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial was due to begin.

Shane Simmonds, 39, has confessed to killing Tia Simmonds, 32, at their home in Parbury Road, Forest Hill on January 3.

Tia’s body was found bundled in bedding and clothing in the converted attic of the couple’s home after Simmonds handed himself into a police station the same day.

During a hearing at the Old Bailey in August, Simmonds denied murder and admitted to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. 

This plea was not accepted by the prosecution and a murder trial was set to take place at the Old Bailey this week.

Simmonds also pleaded guilty to raping another woman twice on the day before his wife’s body was discovered.

But, as before the trial began on Monday, prospective jurors were told that the 39-year-old defendant had pleaded guilty and the trial was cancelled.

According to the BBC, Simmonds’s barrister Jonathan Higgs KC said: “After the guilty plea Mr Higgs said: “It’s a very disturbing case and one that remains in terms of his motivation very largely unexplained.”

A life term will be given to Simmonds, who will be sentenced on October 17.

Cat Millar, women’s service manager at South London charity Pecan, described the case as “incredibly disturbing” but “not surprising”. 

She said: “Domestic abuse does not go from zero to 100, rather it is a long process of gradually worsening behaviour. 

“Men who murder their partners are rarely socially isolated monsters, they are usually respected by their peers in their day-to-day life. 

“Sadly, women will not be safe until the smaller signs of misogyny are taken seriously and become less socially acceptable.”

Pictured top: The Old Bailey (Picture: Flickr/ Ronnie Macdonald)