Tragic Story Unfolds: A Mother's Fatal Choice

A mother-of-four convicted by a jury of murdering her partner was today (Thursday) told she will be sentenced “in the near future” for the fatal knife attack. Julie Ann McIlwaine stabbed James Joseph Crossley multiple times in the bedroom of her home at Filbert Drive in Dunmurry on the evening of March 2, 2022. The 34-year-old denied the murder charge and a trial was held in Coleraine Crown Court last October.

Conviction and Sentencing
At the conclusion of the trial, the jury unanimously convicted McIlwaine, from Hazel Close in Lagmore, of murdering her 38-year-old partner - and on October 23 last year she was handed a Life Sentence by Mr Justice Kinney. She was back in court today for a pre-tariff hearing and after listening to final submissions from both the Crown and defence, the senior judge said he would impose the tariff - the minimum period McIlwaine will spend in jail before she is considered eligible for release - “in the near future”. During the trial, the jury heard evidence that the relationship between the defendant and the deceased was “toxic” and included incidents of domestic abuse. At the time of his death, Mr. Crossley was on bail for a domestic-related incident.

Court Proceedings and Final Verdict
At today’s hearing, which took place at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Kinney was addressed first by Crown barrister Richard Weir KC. Describing the murder as “callous” and “pre-meditated”, Mr Weir said it occurred when a “vulnerable” Mr. Crossley was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom after he had consumed alcohol and sleeping tablets. Pointing out that McIlwaine went to the kitchen, armed herself with the “largest knife in the set” then walked up the stairs, Mr Weir said she moved her 10-month-old daughter out of the way before stabbing Mr. Crossley multiple times “with the intention of killing him and nothing else”. He added that after Mr. Crossley was roused from his sleep by the knife attack, he asked McIlwaine for assistance which she failed to provide. Mr. Weir also said that whilst McIlwaine did not give evidence at her trial, she told police and Probation that prior to stabbing Mr. Crossley she “went through a process of thinking about her options”. The prosecutor sai