gavin shaw, 62, has been given a life sentence after admitting the murder of his former partner, Michele Kennedy, following an attack at her Manchester Road home in Woolston. The stabbing happened shortly before 4pm ET on Monday, October 13 and Michele later died in hospital. Police investigators say jealousy over her new relationship was the driving motive.
Gavin Shaw: the attack and sentence
Prosecutors told the court that gavin shaw entered Michele Kennedy’s home unannounced, then stabbed her twice in the chest within minutes. The defendant drank five pints at a local pub before heading to the address and left the scene immediately after the assault. Passers-by who assisted the injured woman recovered the weapon and identified the attacker, and Shaw went to his son’s nearby home and confessed what had happened.
The victim, aged 55, managed to leave the house but collapsed on the pavement and was flown to Aintree Hospital by air ambulance. She died days later on Saturday, October 18. At sentencing, the court imposed a life term with a minimum term set at 14 years and 196 days.
Attack, evidence and motive
Police and the prosecution set out that gavin shaw and Michele had been in a long-term relationship that ended in August 2025. The court heard the pair’s relationship had been described by people who knew them as volatile and that Michele had begun a new relationship after a holiday to Turkey with her mother a few weeks before the attack.
Investigators recovered text messages on Shaw’s phone that showed he knew about the new relationship. During questioning he admitted stabbing Michele and told officers, “that’s what you get” for sleeping with someone in Manchester. Officers also learned he had been drinking prior to the assault.
Immediate reactions from police and family
Detective Inspector Eleanor Atkinson, Cheshire Police, who led the investigation, called the stabbing an “exceptionally traumatic incident for all those involved. ” She welcomed the sentence and said it was her belief that Shaw acted out of jealousy and an inability to allow Michele to move on with her life.
Andrew Ford KC, prosecuting, outlined to the court how members of Michele’s family described the couple’s relationship and the defendant’s struggles with alcohol. Michele’s mother, Patricia Lawton, spoke from the family’s point of view: “Michele didn’t deserve this. There’s no justice in this world. No sentence will bring back the funny, caring woman that was Michele. No sentence will be enough. ”
What happens next
The life sentence has been handed down and the minimum term is fixed; police have said they hope the sentence provides some closure for Michele’s family and friends. Legal and custodial procedures tied to a life term will follow as required by the court. The case will remain a focal point for the investigation team and the family as they process the aftermath of the killing by gavin shaw.
