Mother-of-two, 28, is jailed for stabbing her jealous boyfriend to death as he angrily quizzed her about an ex-lover

A mother-of-two who stabbed her jealous boyfriend to death after he angrily quizzed her about an ex-lover has been jailed.

Katie Yeomans, 28, was charged with murdering Rees Howarth but on the first day of her trial at Manchester Crown Court she admitted manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control. 

Yeomans fatally knifed Mr Howarth in the chest after the pair began fighting inside her home, with Mr Howarth repeatedly shouting her alleged lover’s name, questioning: ‘Did you really go out with him?’

Mr Howarth, a father of one, then collapsed on the path outside Yeomans’ front door before she dragged him back indoors.  

Following the altercation, instead of calling 999, Yeomans contacted family and friends and asked them to help dispose of the victim’s body in a nearby alleway. 

Katie Yeomans, a mother-of-two who stabbed her jealous boyfriend to death after he angrily quizzed her about an ex-lover, has been jailed

Katie Yeomans, 28, was charged with murdering Rees Howarth but on the first day of her trial at Manchester Crown Court she admitted manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control

Yeomans fatally knifed Mr Howarth in the chest after the pair began fighting inside her home

After a family member arrived, emergency services were called. 

Arriving at the blood-spattered property in Hyde, Greater Manchester, Mr Howarth, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tests later showed that the stab wound had penetrated his left lung and pulmonary artery.

At Manchester Crown Court, Yeomans was charged with murder but she was jailed for five years and three months after prosecutors accepted her guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter on the basis she ‘lost self control.’

She claimed she had stabbed Howarth in ‘fear and in panic’ in the belief he was about to assault her. 

Yeomans is expected to be freed after serving two thirds of her stretch. 

Shouts of ‘Five years? It’s an outrage. It’s disgusting’ rang out from the public gallery as the sentence was passed.

The court heard the pair had been in a ‘volatile’ five-year relationship with Mr Howarth being consumed by jealousy over Yeomans’ ex. 

In 2021 he was charged with causing grievous bodily harm after he stabbed him in front of Yeomans – but he was not convicted.

Yeomans herself was said to have grown up against a background of domestic violence and had once been accused of stabbing a different previous partner. She was said to be ‘hypersensitive’ to any threat.

The killing occurred at 3pm on April 23 after Yeomans and Howarth had spent the previous evening with friends in Oldham. They went to Liquid nightclub before the couple went back to her home to carry on drinking.

Following the altercation, instead of calling 999, Yeomans contacted family and friends and asked them to help dispose of the victim’s body in a nearby alleway

The court heard the pair had been in a ‘volatile’ five-year relationship with Mr Howarth being consumed by jealousy over Yeomans’ ex

Mr Alex Leach KC prosecuting said: ‘Rees believed Katie had been in a relationship with a man she knew and he was annoyed and jealous about it. During the afternoon they were pictured together holding hands but she then called a friend saying Rees was “kicking off”.

‘Rees could be heard shouting angrily in the background whilst a neighbour heard loud shouting from inside the address when they went passed it.’

‘According to Katie herself in her basis of plea, this particular male had been a recurring focus of jealousy, anger and aggression on the part of Rees for a significant period of time.

‘She said his mood deteriorated quickly and he was shouting in anger with the other male being mentioned repeatedly. She said she was frightened and upset but then made efforts to calm him, She said believed she had succeed and took pictures which she posted on Snapchat.

‘However he left the living room and according to her plea, he reverted to extreme aggression. She said she dialled 999 but he took the phone from her, ended the call and he continued to harangue her about the other man.

‘In fear she picked up a knife which she brandished defensively and hit out at him with her fist. He then hit her to the back of the head and the two moved towards the front door. 

‘She said she went to leave the house but he followed her. He tried to stop but the defendant said she turned round rapidly in fear of what he might do and stabbed him using the knife she was still holding.

‘He collapsed outside and she pulled him back into the house where he collapsed on the stairs.’

The court heard Yeomans called her 19-year-old sister Julie telling her she thought she had ‘killed’ Mr Howarth – claimed he had been attacking her and she ordered her a taxi for her to come over. 

The two attempted in vain to revive the victim before Yeomans urged Julie to help her move him to a nearby alleyway. Police were eventually called by Yeomans’ mother.

Meanwhile Yeoman’s herself called Mr Howarth’s father Gary and and told him: ‘Rees turned up at my house. He’s been stabbed but he’s ok, he’s still breathing. I don’t know what the f***’s gone on. You need to come quick. I can’t have him here, they will take my kids off me.’

Yeomans herself was said to have grown up against a background of domestic violence and had once been accused of stabbing a different previous partner

When police arrived Yeomans wrongly told officers Howarth was already injured when he turned up at her house and claimed he even gestured towards his chest as blood poured from his mouth. 

She later gave no comment in police interview – other than to say she had anxiety and a personality disorder She was found to have cuts and bruises to her shoulder, face and knees.

In an emotion-charged statement Mr Howarth’s father broke down in tears as he told the court: ‘When Katie rang me knew she told me Rees had been stabbed – but I didn’t know how bad the injury was.

‘She said he told her he arrived at her house with a stab wound, said he loved her and then collapsed. She told me to come to the house to get him as she thought her kids would be taken off her. I said if Rees was hurt he needs to be in an ambulance.

‘The next thing I knew police were there and I realised something really bad had happened. I was in disbelief when police told me Rees had been fatally stabbed.

‘Since then it’s been a nightmare and I wake up in the night what could have possibly happened. All I keep thinking was whether I could have gone to the house – and done more to help Rees. These dreams and thoughts of never knowing the truth, leave me in a state of torment.

‘I regret Rees couldn’t break the cycle of going back to Katie – he knew the relationship wasn’t right. All I want to know is why Katie did and what exactly happened in those last minutes. She has caused us so much pain and heartache and I just want her to tell the truth.’

Yeomans had previous convictions for robbery, criminal damage and assault on police. Her counsel Nina Graham KC said: ‘The accepted plea very much corroborates the entirety of this incident. It is accepted the prosecution cannot disprove her account.’

Sentencing the judge Mr Justice Mark Turner told Yeomans: ‘You tried to cover up your offending by giving misleading accounts to Rees’ father and the police. But there is history of abuse to which you have been subjected and I take into account the impact custody will have on your two children.’

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