Yahoo News Ex-head teacher admits to killing his wife and her lover on New Year’s Day
An estranged husband has admitted murdering his wife and her lover, who were both found stabbed to death in Derbyshire on New Year’s Day.
Rhys Hancock, an ex-head teacher, killed 39-year-old Helen Hancock and 48-year-old Martin Griffiths at the former marital home in an East Midlands village – and called the police to tell them what he had done.
The 40-year-old admitted both murder charges in a virtual hearing at Derby Crown Court on Monday. Judge Nirmal Shant QC took the unusual step of putting the charges to the defendant herself after problems with the court clerk’s microphone.
He will be sentenced at a future date yet to be set.
Ms Hancock, a PE teacher, and Mr Griffiths, a father of two, were found in a bedroom with multiple stab wounds at a detached home in Duffield on 1 January after police were first called at 4.11am.
A court previously heard how Hancock’s mother called police to say her son had left her home, taking two knives with him. He had found out on Boxing Day his wife had been seeing another man, which caused him “some distress”, she explained.
Denise Hancock told police her 40-year-old son seemed “calm” but she was concerned he was going to do something because he had said earlier he “felt like killing them”.
The defendant’s mother gave the police operator Ms Hancock‘s mobile phone number, which was called but was not picked up.
Prosecutor Jeanette Stevenson also previously told South Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court Hancock rang 999 at 4.26am and told the police operator he was at the former marital home in New Zealand Lane and that he had murdered his wife and Mr Griffiths.
A police dog handler was first on the scene and arrested Hancock, formerly of Portland Street in Etwall, Derbyshire.
Mr Griffiths had already died but paramedics battled for more than 15 minutes to resuscitate Ms Hancock, who died despite numerous attempts.
The PE teacher was a ”lovely, beautiful, friendly, bubbly and social person” and her family are “devastated” at their loss, they said in a statement.
Mr Griffiths’s family said: “Martin was a lovely dad, husband, son, brother and uncle who had a passion for adventure, running and a love of animals.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
