A Disturbing Case of Violence and Jealousy
A court has heard that a woman described as “manipulative, emotionally volatile and jealous” stabbed her ex-partner in the heart on Christmas Day while on police bail for previously strangling him. The incident took place in Cannock, Staffordshire, where 33-year-old Kirsty Carless was allegedly fueled by cocaine and alcohol when she traveled to the home of 31-year-old Louis Price.
Carless, who appeared in court wearing a white shirt with her hair in a ponytail, denies the charges of murder and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. She is accused of taking a kitchen knife from her home in Haling Way to the address of Mr Price’s parents in Elm Road, Norton Canes, around 3am on December 25 last year.
At the time of the fatal stabbing, Carless had been on police bail following an alleged incident where she strangled Mr Price on November 11, 2024. She also denies one count of intentional strangling and another of assault occasioning actual bodily harm related to that event.
During the trial, prosecution counsel Jonas Hankin KC outlined the nature of the relationship between Carless and Mr Price. He stated that Mr Price, a father of six, had been considered at “very high risk of domestic abuse” before his death. The couple had been in a “dysfunctional, abusive and highly volatile relationship since 2021,” characterized by cycles of separation and reconciliation.
Text messages sent to Mr Price the day before his death revealed Carless’s hostility, with messages such as “I hate u… I wish you was dead.” The court heard that on December 24, Carless had been at a pub drinking double vodka and cokes with a male friend. After having sex with him three times at his home, a female friend sent her a screenshot of Mr Price’s Tinder profile around 1:30am on Christmas Day.
Mr Hankin said that this moment marked a shift in Carless’s behavior, which he attributed to anger and jealousy, exacerbated by her use of cocaine and alcohol. He described her actions as reflective of a volatile and aggressive personality.
Carless had planned to stay at the male friend’s home but instead called a taxi back to her flat. She then made 45 calls to Mr Price between 2:15am and 2:44am, pausing only to call another cab to take her to Elm Road. Impatient for the taxi to arrive, she contacted the company twice more to check its location.
As CCTV footage showed Carless arriving at the house just after 3am, members of Mr Price’s family were visibly upset in the public gallery. The footage depicted her “stalking” Mr Price around the garden, where he had been staying in a caravan, as he held his chest.
According to Mr Hankin, Carless initially went upstairs to the property’s spare bedroom, expecting to find Mr Price with another woman. He told the jury that she stabbed Mr Price in the heart with a long kitchen knife, causing severe damage to his chest.
The prosecution argued that Carless intended to kill Mr Price and that the evidence would show she had taken the knife specifically for that purpose. The taxi driver reported hearing a “very loud and prolonged” scream from a man, who sounded scared, shortly after Carless entered the property with a key.
Less than two minutes after arriving, Carless was described as anxious and sweating as she returned to the taxi and demanded to be taken to her parents’ home. There, she allegedly admitted what she had done, leading to a 999 call.
Mr Hankin emphasized that Carless’s harmful use of alcohol and cocaine worsened her behavior, intensifying the negative traits of her personality. The trial continues, with further details expected to emerge.
