Man who kept wife's body in freezer jailed for life

David Barraclough has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Carolann Barraclough. He hid her body in a freezer for weeks while deceiving family and friends about her whereabouts before eventually confessing to the police.
Why it matters
This case highlights extreme instances of domestic violence and the subsequent legal proceedings in the UK justice system.
Image source, West Yorkshire Police Image caption, David Barraclough changed his plea to guilty on the first day of trial
A man who murdered his wife with a hammer and hid her body in a chest freezer while telling family and friends she was ill in hospital has been jailed for life.
David Barraclough, 46, killed Carolann Barraclough, a mother of three, at the family's house in Horbury, near Wakefield, in February.
Leeds Crown Court heard he then spent about two weeks trying to conceal what he had done, telling relatives and friends she was in hospital and sending messages from her phone pretending to be her.
Barraclough pleaded guilty to murder on the first day of his trial and refused to attend court for sentencing. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years and one month.
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