Dad-of-six told police he was being abused weeks before ex ‘stabbed him in heart’ – Bundlezy

Dad-of-six told police he was being abused weeks before ex ‘stabbed him in heart’

Dad-of-six told police he was being abused weeks before ex 'stabbed him in heart'
Kirsty Carless, 31, is said to have been ‘motivated by anger and jealousy’ when she stabbed Louis Price, 31, in the heart (Pictures: Facebook)

A dad-of-six who was allegedly murdered on Christmas Day by his abusive ex-partner told a friend he was scared of her and feared ‘something bad’ would happen to him if he left her, a court has heard.

Kirsty Carless, 31, was ‘motivated by anger and jealousy’ when she stabbed Louis Price, 31, in the heart after a friend sent her a picture of his dating profile on Tinder, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Jurors have been told Mr Price was considered by police to be ‘at very high risk of domestic abuse’ before his death.

Giving evidence, friend Demi-Louise Deakin recalled Mr Price confiding in her at a funeral a month before he died, saying: ‘He said he was scared of Kirsty and if he didn’t leave soon something bad would happen to him.

‘He said she can be violent towards him.’

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.

Ms Deakin, who lived near Carless, described another incident where Carless allegedly poured bleach over Mr Price’s clothes and threw a shoe out of the window which hit him on the head.

Another neighbour told the court she called the police after witnessing Carless chasing and hitting Mr Price in the ribs with a metal pole outside the house while he had his arms up protecting his head.

Jurors were shown police body-worn video footage from when officers attended Carless’ address on November 11, 2024.

They were told Mr Price phoned 999 to say Carless had poured bleach over tracksuits worth £400, had thrown a glass candle holder at him, pulled him down the stairs and choked him.

As he was moved away from the house by one of the officers, Mr Price appeared to become emotional, saying: ‘It’s f****** embarrassing … it can’t keep happening, man.’

Woman 'fuelled by cocaine' stabbed her ex to death while she was on bail for strangling him Kirsty Carless Louis Price
A friend of Louis Price told jurors he described feeling ‘scared’ of Carless (Picture: Facebook)

In a witness statement after the incident, he said the relationship ‘on the whole, has been abusive’.

He said: ‘She has constantly been abusive towards me, stopped me doing things I enjoy like football, and physically abused me.’

Mr Price added: ‘She has abused me for years now yet I’m always the one that gets arrested.’

Jurors heard of several incidents in which the police had been called.

Mr Price was arrested on one occasion in May 2023 after Carless accused him of punching her.

She retracted her statement two months later, telling police: ‘It was 50/50 and we hit each other, I hurt him as much as he hurt me, I felt so pressured to make it sound one-sided by my social worker at the time.

‘It is wrong what I said in my original statement, I don’t want to go to court and lie about what happened.’

Excl A YOUNG mother charged with the murder of her 'on-off' boyfriend Louis Price is pictured for the first time. Kirsty Carless, 33 - who is also known as Kirsty Cribb - has been remanded into custody following a court appearance today (Sat). She is accused of killing the father-of-six, whom his devastated family have paid tribute to as being ?big hearted? and 'alway having a smile on his face.? Mr Price, 31, who has four daughters and two sons, was brutally stabbed to death in his own home on Christmas Day. The keen fisherman and footballer was fatally knifed in the property where he lived with his parents in the quiet Staffordshire village of Norton Canes. Emergency services were called to reports of a man in cardiac arrest, at about 3.25am at a house in Elm Road, but he sadly died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics. Mr Price's heartbroken parents Graham and Eleanor Price were given the shattering news whilst on a dream getaway and have since raced back to the UK, locals claimed. Carless from nearby Cannock - pictured on social media with long dark hair - was arrested shortly after her partner?s death and charged with murder this morning, She made a brief appearance at North Staffordshire Justice Centre where he was remanded into custody. A post mortem has taken place but police are not divulging the cause of his death saying it will be a ?matter for an inquest in due course.? Locals have told now they heard the victim was stabbed to death. Neighbours in the usually peaceful, close knit square where Mr Price lived told of their horror as they were woken in the middle of the morning by flashing police and ambulance lights. A mother-of-three, who lives two doors away from the house of horror told MailOnline: 'It was about 4.30am on Christmas Day when I heard something, it woke me up, and it was a girl crying loudly and saying over and again, ?No, no no!' 'I didn't know what was going on but it sound serious, I looked outside and the emergency services were everywhere.' The woman, who asked not to be named, added: 'We found out later that then young man who lived there with his parents had been killed by someone know to him. We heard he was stabbed to death with a knife. 'His poor parents were away on holiday when it happened, They usually go away to the Maldives for Christmas and that may have been where they were. 'They will be absolutely devastated and my heart goes out to them. 'I cannot imagine anything worse than being overseas on holiday and finding out your child has been murdered in the family home, and on Christmas Day. 'Nobody deserves that. 'It has shocked and saddened the whole little community here. It is beyond belief.? The woman continued: 'The young man who died was a lovely lad. He lived with his dad, who is a builder, and his step mum, who worked at a local care home. 'They kept themselves to themselves, and were a decent, hard working family. ?Louis was a devoted dad but had a volatile relationship with his partner. ?They have several children together and she has kids from another relationship.? A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said that ?specialist officers were continuing to support Louis? family at this difficult time.' In a heartfelt tribute his family said: 'Louis was well-loved by his family and closest friends. He was a well-known member of the community, always had a smile on his face and brought a positive energy to anywhere he went. 'He always had time for anyone and would help anyone he could. Louis was a devoted fisherman, he had a passion for fishing and regularly went away on trips with friends and family. He loved football, he played for a team and was a life-long supporter of Aston Villa. 'As a family we are devastated at losing Louis. Life will never be the same without him, he leaves a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. Christmas is a time we have always spent together as a family, to lose Louis at this time is even harder. 'Louis leaves behind his Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister, along with his six children. He has four daughters and two sons who he loved dearly. Louis had a big heart, he loved those closest to him. 'As a family, we would like to ask people to respect our privacy during this difficult time and we ask that people don?t speculate about what has happened.' After Carless was charged with murder, the victim?s brother Shane Naylor posted one social media: ?No matter the outcome, it?s still good for you to rot, you scumbag.? His niece Emme Luker vowed: ?We will get justice Uncle Lou. ?Charged and remanded. I hope you Kirsty (Cribb) rot in jail, vile piece of scum!' She had previously posted: 'My uncle Louis was murdered early hours this morning (Christmas Day). ?RIP Uncle Lou. I am in utter shock this has happened. You didn't deserve this. ?Always there when I needed you. Thank you for always having my back and making me laugh! ?Justice will be served. Love you forever.? The force investigating his murder has made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to recent police contact. ENDS
Carless denies murdering Mr Price on Christmas Day last year (Picture: Facebook)

In another incident that September, Carless called police to say Mr Price had hit her before the call ended and later claimed a neighbour had stolen her phone and pretended to be her when officers traced her.

The court was also told Carless admitted to police she had made up allegations that Mr Price had grabbed her by the throat three times after she confronted him about messages on his phone in November 2023.

She told officers it was a ‘way of getting back at him for speaking to other women’, jurors heard.

Carless denies murder and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place in relation to the fatal incident on December 25, 2024.

She also denies one count of intentional strangulation and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident on November 11, 2024.

The trial continues.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

About admin