Kirstie Ellis murder: Twisted Tony Brooks jailed for life after strangling victim to death before impersonating her on Facebook

Tony Brooks, of Agbrigg Road, Wakefield, beat and strangled his girlfriend Kirstie Ellis to death on February 1 this year, before moments later taking her television to Cash Converters.

A sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard how Brooks then impersonated Ms Ellis by using her Facebook messenger account to convince her friends and family she was still alive.

During the hearing, the victim’s sister bravely faced Brooks and told him he would never be forgiven for what he had done.

A judge called Brooks “merciless”, sentencing him to life imprisonment.

Police found Ms Ellis’s body in the bath of her house in Stanhall Mews, Stanningley, on March 25, nearly two months after she had been killed.

The court heard Brooks had gone to the house of Ms Ellis on February 1, when he hit her over the head with a coffee table. After Ms Ellis had gone upstairs to clean herself, Brooks attacked her again, this time stuffing socks into her throat and strangling her to death with a dressing gown belt and HDMI lead.

Brooks left the house covered with blood, holding a flat screen television, when he was picked up by another girlfriend who asked him what had happened. Brooks told her he had beaten up a man who owed him money, and said he was “skint”. He ended up selling the TV to Cash Converters for £220.

Over the following weeks, he would return to Kirstie’s house to retrieve other items, including a sound bar and washing machine.

The court heard Brooks also mislead Ms Ellis’s friends by logging into her Facebook messenger account and impersonating her. He was said to have even sent sexually suggestive messages to some of Kirstie’s friends on the app.

Brooks also withdrew more than £1,500 from Ms Ellis’s bank account after he had killed her.

Police were only alerted to the incident by Brooks himself, when he was arrested for an unrelated incident.

Brooks made the shock revelation to officers that he knew about a murder committed by a drug dealer and that there was a body at an address in Leeds.

When officers forced entry to the property, they found Kirstie’s body in the bath hidden under a blanket. A post-mortem examination later confirmed she had been strangled.

Brooks, who had begun a relationship with Kirstie in December, was forensically linked to the scene and was shown to have sold a number of her possessions taken from her home in the period following her death.

Her bank card and PIN number were found during a search of an address Brooks had been staying at in Castleford.

Prosecuting the case, Christopher Moran told the court: “This was a protracted, determined and sustained attack.

“It was particularly frightening experience. It would be described as sadistic.”

The victim’s sister, Hannah Kitson, read out a statement to Brooks, saying: “You have taken more than just Kirstie’s life.

"What kind of boyfriend would do this to someone they had only been with for a mere few months?”

"She had dreams of going on to become a counsellor to help victims of domestic violence.

"She will never experience true love, or start a family. You let her simply rot away without any dignity.

"She brought light into the darkest of rooms with a single smile. Everything seems darkened and dull without her.

"You will never be forgiven, and I hope you are never able to forgive yourself.”

Brooks was charged for Ms Ellis’s murder on March 28 and appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court the following day and was remanded in custody to appear at Leeds Crown Court the next day.

He initially pleaded guilty to her manslaughter at hearing in April but not guilty to the murder. He then changed his plea to guilty to the murder when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court on October 3.

Mitigating for Brooks, Abdul Iqbal said Brooks had written a letter to the judge, insisting that he was sorry for what he had done. He also added that he should be afforded credit for his guilty plea.

Sentencing Brooks, Judge Tom Bayliss said: “This was a pitiless and merciless attack.

"[In your] letter shown to me, you insist you are remorseful – but you are nothing of the sort.

"Your actions bely any suggestion of remorse. You denied her dignity even in death.”

He sentenced Brooks to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 24 years and nine months.

Following the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Det Supt Helen Steele said: “Brooks is a callous and nasty individual whose brutal actions robbed Kirstie of her life and have left her family absolutely devastated.

“He displayed a complete disregard for her in the weeks that followed her murder, as she lay undiscovered while he sold off items of her property taken from the address.

“We conducted a thorough and comprehensive investigation into Kirstie’s death which built up a strong evidential picture of Brooks’ involvement and saw him admit his guilt without her family having to endure the added emotional strain that a trial inevitably brings.

“While nothing can ever undo the pain that Brooks’ actions have caused them, we hope Kirstie’s family can take some small measure of comfort from knowing he has now been held responsible and sent to prison.”