AN ABUSIVE wife has been jailed after knifing her husband to death, stuffing his remains in a bag and then burying him in the garden.
Maureen Rickards, 50, stabbed her spouse of 27 years Jeremy to death at their home in Canterbury, Kent, last summer.
She was arrested last July after the decomposing body of Mr Rickards, 65, was found by police in the garden of the home, buried under grass cuttings.
Canterbury Crownheard she kept Jeremy, who was wearing just his underwear, in a cupboard in their bedroom before dragging him outside.
She then wrapped his body in bin bags, transferred it into a holdall and carried the bag down two flights of stairs to the bottom of their overgrown back garden before burying him.
Mr Rickards was reported missing by his family at the beginning of June – with his last sighting said to have been on June 7.
The couple's daughter Chima became suspicious of a message from his phone saying he was in Saudi Arabia.
His body was only discovered on July 11, after a Kent Police officer investigating his disappearance recognised a distinctive “sickly smell” in the garden of Rickards' home.
The court heard Mr Rickards was the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of his wife in the lead-up to his murder.
His post mortem examination showed he'd been strangled weeks before his death and that he was also recovering from recent rib fractures.
In the lead-up to his death, Jeremy was seen in a “battered and bruised” state by a taxi driver and staff at his local pub.
Prosecutor Nick Corsellis KC said Rickards had subjected her husband to , which became “more severe” in his final days.
After her arrest, police found voice recordings on her phone taken as she berated her “frail and vulnerable” husband while he lay confused on the floor.
In one vile recording, Rickards could be heard “voicing her intent to harm and kill”.
On June 6, a neighbour saw Jeremy “profoundly” injured with a cut to his forehead and bruises to his eyes and ears.
When asked what happened, he allegedly replied: “Maureen was in a bad mood with me and with everyone.”
The geologist was reported missing the following day after he was seen returning home from work.
Police visited the home but found “no trace of [his] existence” – with Rickards claiming the pair were separated.
She also told them she had not spoken to Jeremy “for weeks” but was arrested for fraud after she used his bank cards.
Rickards purchased alcohol, cigarettes, Doritos, toilet paper, Febreze air freshener, and Vanish carpet shampoo with his money.
When she was re-arrested after Jeremy's body was found, she asked officers: “Murder? Murder? Did you say murder? Found what body?”
Police later found Jeremy's DNA on bloodstains on the carpet, the court heard.
Rickards' DNA was also discovered on the bin bag where his body had been wrapped up.
A post mortem revealed Jeremy had suffered five stab wounds – two 11cm deep – as well as multiple fractured ribs, a fracture to a bone in his neck and a broken nose.
There was also a “sharp force” stab wound to his head in which metal fragments were present.
James Fisher from theSouth East said: “As we built the case against Maureen Rickards, we were able to unpick her web of lies, using forensic evidence and her actions before and after the murder, to paint the picture of a callous abuser, who subjected Jeremy to unimaginable pain and suffering.
“She subjected her partner to a campaign of sustained abuse, before viciously murdering him.
“The attacks on Jeremy became more severe in the run-up to his murder, leaving him frail, battered and bruised, with everyone who came into contact with him concerned for his well-being.
“Maureen lied about the cruelty and violence she inflicted on Jeremy and was quick to dismiss any concerns, even claiming the injuries had come from a car accident.
“Maureen has never taken responsibility for her actions nor shown any remorse for murdering Jeremy.
“He was subjected to an appalling attack, after which Maureen set about trying to hide the evidence, even lying to their family that he had killed himself inSaudi Arabia, while all the time his body lay hidden in their garden.
“Despite her efforts to disguise what she had done, Maureen has today been brought to the justice for her husband's brutal murder.
“Our thoughts remain with Jeremy's family and friends at this difficult time.”
