Pontypool murder: Maggs jailed for 20 years for stabbing wife

A retired accountant who murdered his wife as she lay in bed has been sentenced to life with 20 years' minimum imprisonment.

David Maggs, 71, stabbed Linda Maggs, 74, at least 15 times in her neck, chest and hands.

Sentencing him on Thursday, Judge Michael Fitton QC called Maggs "self-interested, bitter and unpleasant".

Maggs admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility but he was also found guilty of murder.

At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Fitton said: "You were bitter and angry with life and you took out that inner anger and resentment on Linda on the day you killed her.

"She died in pain and terror. You left the room without checking to see if she was dead or alive.

"You came to resent her in a whole variety of ways."

The court heard Maggs resented his wife having a social life, female friends and a loving family.

Judge Fitton said: "You resented her having the courage to stick up for herself and you resented her for following the advice of her lawyer and refusing to leave the house, remaining to protect her interest in the marital home."

In a victim impact statement Mrs Maggs' son, Andrew Minahan, said the murder had turned their lives upside down saying the family was left "sickened".

He said the defendant's actions should "haunt him for the rest of his life" and he missed his mother "desperately".

He said the name on her headstone was Linda Minahan, not Linda Maggs, adding: "Our mum was the best mum, nan and friend you could wish for. Now she has gone.

"She was a massive part of our lives, she was always there for us.

"You took our mum and our children's nanny. They adored her, she adored them."

Linda, who was described in a family tribute as "beautiful inside and out" was murdered on Saturday 6 February, 2021.

The trial heard about the circumstances that led to the brutal attack on 6 February, 2021 which was so forceful two of her ribs were broken.

In the summer of 2020 Linda told David she wanted a divorce. Their marriage had been unhappy for some years.

Linda was advised not to leave the family home and so behind the neat net curtains at Landsdowne, Sebastopol, in Pontypool, a husband and wife lived separate lives.

She spoke to a solicitor and began divorce proceedings. The murder trial heard she was advised not to leave the house. David Maggs also refused to move out.

What was once a home filled with happy memories of family Christmas celebrations and summer gatherings in their garden was now a battleground.

Maggs turned the living room into a bedsit, with a lock on the door. Mrs Maggs had rooms upstairs. She had also bought locks for her doors but had not arranged for them to be fitted.

The couple shared a bathroom and kitchen. Mrs Maggs told friends he would sit on the stairs outside the bathroom door as she showered. She said she thought her husband was stalking her.

A decree nisi was due to be granted in March 2021. Solicitors had appointed a financial investigator to examine the couple's finances before the divorce could finally be granted.

It was likely to mean the house would be sold. Mrs Maggs told her daughter Kerry she was worried about David's reaction when he was informed about the investigator.

The night before her death she spoke to her daughter.

The court heard that Kerry later told police her mother "thought it would kick off when he got the letter. That was the last time we spoke".

Cardiff Crown Court was told that the couple's relationship had been unravelling for years. After being forced to surrender his driving licence in 2009 because of his epilepsy, Maggs became increasingly reclusive.

Linda loved dancing, jiving, rock and roll and she had been a member of a dance display group called Pat's Popsicles.

As Maggs retreated into the house he became resentful of Linda's active social life, frequently asking her where she was going and with who. When he did come with her to dances at clubs in Cwmbran and Newport he would stand outside smoking.

She enjoyed spending time with her granddaughter.

They loved going clothes shopping together. Linda took care of her appearance and looked much younger than her 74 years. Her family, her home and her garden meant the world to her.

The couple first met in 1977, but it was not until the late 1980s that they became a couple.

Mrs Maggs' first marriage had broken down and she was bringing up her son Andrew and daughter Kerry alone. At times she had three jobs in order to make ends meet and support her children.

The couple married in August 2002. But even in the early days, money was an issue.

The court heard that Kerry told detectives Maggs wanted Linda to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. She refused, saying she believed everything should be shared.

After they married, they continued to have separate bank accounts. Kerry remembers her mother always paid for her own food and drink if the couple went out to eat. "I thought it was strange," she said.

In the early years of the marriage life was good. The couple travelled, visiting destinations including Spain, the US and Australia.

But over the years, the atmosphere in the house became increasingly strained. Maggs became increasingly angry. There were frequent rows about money.

Linda's decision to divorce him forced the couple to split the house in two. She would live upstairs, he downstairs.

She refused to cook and clean for him any longer.

The court heard he changed his will explaining he had been "stung" by his two previous ex-wives and was not prepared to give another wife any of his money.

His mood became bleak. The pandemic meant he spoke to his GP by phone. He was prescribed anti-depressants and a short course of sleeping tablets.

His sister said he was not looking after himself properly. She visited most days, to bring him food and to check on him.

He was not well. He had emphysema and the previous year he had survived two heart attacks.

His days were spent sitting behind the locked door of the sitting room, smoking, playing the card game patience and watching films.

Lockdowns meant Mrs Maggs was also limited in where she could go and who she could see, so she spent much of her time alone upstairs in her bedroom.

In the months before her death, the jury was told Maggs told three people he wanted to kill Linda.

In September 2020 a local estate agent came to value the house. Chris Davies told detectives he recalled David Maggs "chain-smoking and visibly shaking". Maggs told him he would rather harm his wife than lose what he had.

Mr Davies remembered seeing Mrs Maggs as he looked around the house, describing her as "very timid".

At just 4ft11in (150cm) she was petite. But Maggs would later tell police he took two kitchen knives upstairs on the day he killed her as "protection".

He told detectives that although Mrs Maggs was small she was, in his words, "right bolshy".

The second person he told was housing support worker Julie Lewis. When it became clear the house might have to be sold as part of the divorce settlement, he was referred to Bron Afon Community Housing.

Ms Lewis encouraged him to look at options including renting and sheltered accommodation.

Not once, during police interviews, did Maggs express remorse or regret for what he had done.

Prosecutor Mike Jones QC told the jury: "Right from the first 999 call, the consistent emotion shown by this defendant is one of animosity and anger towards Linda, then self-pity."

In court, Maggs admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. His barrister Sarah Jones QC said her client's depression and ill health would have impaired his judgement.

Taken out of court each day chained in a wheelchair and struggling to step into a prison van, it seemed hard to reconcile this ill frail, figure with the man who stabbed his wife with such force he broke bones.

After just under nine hours of deliberation the jury found him guilty of Linda's murder. It was a unanimous decision.