Man jailed for 33 years for rape and murder of estranged wife after staging death as suicide

Michael Thompson, 56, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years for raping and suffocating his estranged wife Kimberley and then staging her death to appear as suicide.

• Thompson raped and murdered Kimberley Thompson at their home between midnight and 3:30am on 9 August 2025.
• He staged the scene to make it look like suicide and posted messages on her social media before calling emergency services.
• Judge Nirmal Shant KC said Thompson showed "no remorse" and committed an "ultimate act of cowardice and contempt" by refusing to attend sentencing.
• The couple's daughter Athena told the court her father was a "jealous, conniving, narcissistic villain".