Man sentenced to 15 years for murdering primary school teacher wife

A man has been jailed for murdering his primary school teacher wife just six months after she gave birth to their daughter.

Abi Fisher, 29, was found dead in undergrowth by a road near a South Yorkshire village earlier this year.

Matthew Fisher, who on Thursday was jailed for 15 years, lied to police and said he had woken up to find his wife missing. He claimed she had been upset the night before because she was due to return to work after maternity leave.

Officers found the 30-year-old’s vehicle had been driven away from their home when he claimed to be asleep, a sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court heard on Thursday.

Fisher eventually told a psychiatrist Ms Fisher had fallen down the stairs and when he went to check on her, he “lost it” when she told him she wanted to leave him and smothered her with a t-shirt.

However, the court heard a pathologist did not find his admission accounted for all the blunt force trauma injuries she suffered to her face, skull and abdomen.

Ms Fisher was reported missing from her house in Castleford, West Yorkshire, at 10.27am on Saturday 9 July.

Her husband posted to Facebook just moments later: “Has anyone seen Abi? If you have can you please let me know or get her to give me a ring?”

Leeds Crown Court heard that Fisher, who previously pleaded guilty to his wife’s murder, drove her dead body and dumped her wearing in woods which he played in as a child.

Her body was found in just her underwear near Brierly, more than 12 miles from their home.

Prosecutor James Lake told the court that while Ms Fisher’s parents were at her husband’s house, he was searching police and news sites to see if her body had been found.

Mr Lake said police also found searches on her phone including “why does my husband hate me?” and “is marriage counselling available on the NHS?”

He said Fisher‘s car was seen on CCTV leaving Castleford after 4am on 9 July and was seen driving along the M62 before crossing into South Yorkshire.

Fisher’s fingerprints were found on gaffer tape lying near his wife’s body.

Ms Fisher’s heartbroken mother Andrea Richardson, who insisted Fisher was present in court so she could address him, read out an emotional victim impact statement.

She told Fisher: “We treated you like a son and you lied to our faces. You listened to me saying I hoped she had postnatal depression as that could be treated.

“You sat there and said nothing, knowing you had killed my baby girl, dragged her through the undergrowth and dumped her in the woods where you played as a child.

“Everyone was desperately hoping to find our daughter and you knew she was dead. You did this to us, you killed our baby. She loved life, she loved you.

“Her death has changed our lives immeasurably. I miss my daughter so much it’s surreal. I feel like it isn’t happening. It’s some sort of bad dream.

“All sorts of things remind me of her. I don’t manage to get through a day without crying for her.”

Ms Fisher was a Year 3 teacher at Featherstone All Saints Church of England Academy near Pontefract.

Headteacher Matthew Jones called her an “enthusiastic, kind and caring teacher and colleague” in a tribute after her death.

“In particular, her passion for science inspired countless children over the years - she made a real difference to so many lives,” he said.

Sentencing Fisher to at least 15 years, Judge Tom Bayliss KC said Abi‘s murder was aggravated by his “cruel and callous lies” to her parents.

He said: “You, Matthew Fisher, killed your wife, the woman you loved and you left your little daughter without a parent to look after her.

“By your actions, you’ve taken one life and you’ve left the lives of countless others in tatters.”

Additional reporting by SWNS