Cannock Christmas Day murderer Kirsty Carless jailed for 25 years minimum for stabbing ex in the heart

Carless, 33, brutally stabbed father-of-six Louis Price to death at his family home in Norton Canes in a jealous rage after being made aware of a dating profile he had set up on the app Tinder. 

The jury took just over a day to convict Carless of murdering Mr Price and possessing a knife on December 25, 2024 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm relating to an earlier attack on Mr Price, in November last year. They found her not guilty of intentional strangulation.

Mr Price's mother and sister made emotional statements to the court about the impact of his death.

His mother Eleanor said: "Our hearts have been ripped apart, especially knowing he was killed by the woman he loved.

"It is because of Kirsty his children do not have a father, won't walk them down the aisle, or teach them to fish. He was a lovely and funny man, who would do anything for anyone.

"He was the beating heart of our family."

His father Graham said: "Words cannot describe the devastation Kirsty has caused our father. What happened to Louis was an act of evil. We will never get to see Louis find true happiness. I hope Kirsty spends a long time in jail."

Carless, of Haling Way, Bridgtown, Cannock had previous convictions for battery, assault, drink driving and criminal damage. She was also known as Kirsty Cribb and lived in Telford until she was 15.

In mitigation, Michelle Heeley KC, Carless's barrister, said: "We accept the premeditation, but this was not plotted for a long time. This was one single wound and he was not vulnerable. 

"Miss Carless did suffer injury at the hand of the deceased, she was a domestic abuse victim. She has ADHD and PTSD. She has expressed disgust at her own actions. Her own children will not grow up and see her as a free woman."

Judge Akhlaq Choudhury KC sentenced Carless to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 25 years.

He said: "You have been found guilty of the murder of Louis Price. 

"Louis Price was only 31 years old when you killed him. You had a child with him. The relationship was volatile between the both of you.

"Seeing a Tinder profile triggered a jealous rage within you. You called him 26 times. You called a taxi, you picked up the keys to his home and a kitchen knife. You told the taxi driver you would be back in a minute. Shortly after he heard a male scream."

He added: "You inflicted the fatal wound. You stabbed him on sight and then chased him around the garden. Seeing him on the floor, you did not try to help. You got back in the taxi - it took two minutes to take a life.

"You have shown no remorse for your action, instead lying about what happened."

As Carless had been on police bail for assaulting Mr Price at the time of the fatal stabbing, Staffordshire Police made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who decided not to investigate and the case was passed back to the force’s professional standards department.

In a statement, Staffordshire Police said: “A number of positive actions were taken to mitigate the risks identified, which included arresting Kirsty Carless, imposing bail conditions to prevent her from having further contact with Louis Price, them living at separate addresses, and the submission of a public protection notice for consideration at a multi-agency risk assessment conference.

“No misconduct or learning was identified and officers updated Louis’s father and explained the decision.”