A man has been sentenced for murdering his wife in their home

A man has been jailed for murdering his wife in their family home.

Shane Simmonds, 39 (10.02.85) of Parbury Road, SE23 was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 17 October to life imprisonment. He will serve a minimum of 32 years.

Simmonds had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Tia Simmonds on Monday, 14 October.

Detective Superintendent Matt Webb, said: “This was a callous and brutal murder which, due to Simmonds’ actions, was clearly premeditated. He drugged his wife before attacking her with a knife; there was no opportunity for her to defend herself.

“He then left the home and was seen buying cleaning products and replacement bedding in an attempt to hide his crime.

“The overwhelming evidence against him, and his own confession back in January, left Simmonds with no other option but to plead guilty. He faces a lengthy prison sentence but the impact of his actions that day will last a lifetime for Tia’s family and friends.”

In the early hours of Wednesday, 3 January, Simmonds walked into Lewisham police station and told officers that he had killed his wife at their home.

Officers attended and found the body of a 32-year-old Tia hidden in the loft. A kitchen knife, that had been used to stab her, was found in their bedroom.

A special post-mortem examination held at Greenwich Mortuary found cause of death to be stab injuries.

Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command launched an investigation into Tia’s murder.

They established that two days prior to Simmonds handing himself in, he had drugged Tia with sleeping tablets before stabbing her several times as she lay on their bed.