'Anything But Divorce': Public Outrage Grows After Husband Murders Wife With Hammer and Hides Body in Freezer

A West Yorkshire man who murdered his wife with a hammer and hid her body in a chest freezer for two weeks has been jailed for life, as public anger over the killing intensifies online.

David Barraclough, 46, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years and one month after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife, 46-year-old mother-of-three, Carolann, at their shared home in Horbury, near Wakefield.

According to a report from the BBC, she was killed inside the property before her body was bound and placed in a utility room freezer.

For two weeks after the killing, Barraclough lied to relatives, friends and neighbours, claiming she was in hospital recovering from an illness.

He used her phone to send fake messages, prevented her children from entering the utility room, and continued with his day-to-day life, visiting local pubs, withdrawing joint funds and downloading the dating app Tinder. He eventually walked into Normanton Police Station on 5 March and confessed.

Social Media Fury Over Killing and Sentence

The details of the case prompted strong reaction on social media, with many users focusing on the loss of life and asking why domestic disputes can escalate into lethal violence rather than separation or divorce.

On TikTok, a comment stating simply 'anything but divorce' received over 4,300 likes and was widely shared.

Other users voiced frustration over repeated instances of domestic abuse. One commenter wrote, 'I'm sick of the vile men SICK OF THEM,' while another added, 'This world is disgusting.'

On X (formerly Twitter), some users discussed both the killing and the length of the sentence. User Wills posted, 'Pointless. She's lost her life & he's lost his. With the added trauma to the families. Have these men not heard of divorce?'

Addressing the 22-year sentence, user Femi wrote: 'This sentence does not reflect the premeditated nature of this horrific crime. David Barraclough murdered a mother of three, hid her body in a freezer and deceived her family to cover his tracks. Life should mean life, without parole.'

Others speculated on a potential history of abuse, with one user noting, 'Almost certainly won't have been the first time he'd laid hands on her either.'

'The Bright Light of Our Family'

While prosecutors successfully rejected Barraclough's claims of self-defence after CCTV footage showed no injuries on him, the impact of the murder falls heavily on the couple's three children.

In a statement read to the court, Carolann's family described her as 'the bright light of our family' whose 'joy was infectious,' adding that 'the world is a much darker place without her.'

A separate statement on behalf of her three children explained that all three are autistic and relied heavily on routine, familiarity and the belief that the adults around them would keep them safe.

'For two weeks they were told their mum was in hospital, but their mum was in their own home,' the statement read. The family said the children have lost 'their world, their security and the future they were supposed to have with their mum.'