Michael Thompson: 55-year-old ‘tracked’, ‘abused’ and ‘brutalised’ ex-partner for decade before alleged rape and murder

Michael Thompson, of Pinewood Road, Northampton, pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder of 43-year-old Kimberley Thompson – who was found dead on August 9, 2025.

Thompson appeared at Northampton Crown Court on December 16, 2025 when he also pleaded not guilty to two additional charges of committing an act with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

The trial, which is being held at Nottingham Crown Court, is expected to last around six weeks and the jury members were sworn in last Thursday (May 21) ahead of the prosecution opening on May 26.

Prosecuting, Miranda Moore KC told the court that the rape and murder of Kimberley Thompson, known affectionately as Kim Bounds, took place in short succession between the hours of 12.02am and 3.30am on August 9, 2025.

The incidents took place in Pinewood Road when Kim and Michael, who habitually refers to himself as Thompson, were going through divorce proceedings and living separate lives. Kim was said to be “moving on with her life” and using her maiden name.

The pair married in 2006. The court heard that Kim reported “physical and emotional abuse” and “controlling behaviour” to friends, family and work colleagues from as early as 2013.

Miss Moore KC said that a change was noted in Kim when she started her relationship with Thompson, having gone from “healthy, happy and bubbly to a thin, self-doubting and fearful person”. She stopped socialising and confiding in friends, say the prosecution.

Thompson is said to have “got into her head” and “made her feel less of a human being”, and Kim stayed as she wanted to keep the family together.

However, at the time of Kim’s death, the jury were told that she had a new life, home and partner with plans to start introducing him to friends as they were a “very happy couple”.

Thompson is said to have been “very controlling” of Kim, particularly after she had an affair during their relationship and he found out. The defendant proceeded to start seeing someone in the office where they both worked, which the prosecution say was an attempt to “punish and embarrass” Kim in front of work colleagues.

The court heard it was Thompson who instigated divorce proceedings and Kim saved very hard to get a home for herself.

Incidents were recalled to the jury, including when Kim told loved ones about being pushed from an upper window of the house and landed on an extension roof. When Thompson was interviewed, he said it was Kim’s fault as she leant out to get a lost bracelet while they were having an argument.

Another was when Thompson allegedly head-butted Kim so hard that it perforated an ear drum.

The court heard that Thompson had choked and held Kim by the throat, as well as demanding sex and doing an unwanted sex act during intercourse as a way to punish her for having an affair. Kim thought going to the police would be unsuccessful and they would not believe her because of her affair.

The prosecution say Thompson called Kim a “cheating *****” and sexual intercourse was something she gave into, as it was easier to give the defendant what he wanted.

Messages revealed that Kim said she felt like she had “no choice” and used the word “hate” to describe her feelings for the sex act, which would affect her for days afterwards.

The prosecution uphold that Thompson was “coercive and controlling” of Kim, having kept track of where she was and going through the bins to check on her.

The defendant would read books on behaviour, pinpointing women as playing victims in order to make men look bad. These were highlighted by Thompson and left lying around for Kim to recognise her “poor” behaviour, the jury heard.

With access to Kim’s phone and iPad, Thompson moved messages from her device to his – as well as planting and setting mobile phones to record in the house and Kim’s car. The one in the car was found by Kim.

The court heard there are hundreds of hours of recordings obtained by the police, which were saved and edited by Thompson. These got longer towards the date of Kim’s death, with the latest being on August 7, 2025.

Thompson called Kim “promiscuous”, a “liar”, a “narcissist” and an “attention seeker”, and called her names in order to “belittle” her, say the prosecution.

As a basketball player, Kim started off by saying her facial and bodily injuries were from the sport.

With Thompson having “strangled”, “choked” and “brutalised” Kim, her friends told her to leave him otherwise he would end up killing her. It was as early as 2013 when she was told to leave him and move away, the court heard.

Kim made one report against Thompson and she retracted it when the authorities got involved.

The court also heard that Kim kept items at work, including food, clothes and diaries, as Thompson would go through her possessions at home. With access to Kim’s phone, Thompson found out about a trip that she was planning with her new partner.

On one occasion when the phone had not been hung up properly, a friend of Kim’s overheard Thompson calling her a “pathetic ****”. The friend wanted to tell the police but Kim insisted it would make her life more difficult.

Divorce proceedings and money settlements

The court heard that Thompson said he would rather see Kim dead before giving her any money, and messages show he was keen to keep any money he felt he owned. The prosecution referred to him as “my money person”.

Kim and Thompson owned the home they were living in and a second property rented by tenants. Thompson wanted to keep them both, giving Kim £40,000 in equity. The third property was the one Kim was planning to move into.

Kim sought legal advice by July 25, 2025 and decided to ask for a third of the second jointly-owned home. The consent order claiming £65,000 from the jointly held assets went through on August 1, 2025.

Miss Moore KC said “Kim always knew things would get bad” when she fought for more and played a voice note that the deceased sent to her friend. Kim said it was going to get “messy” and that Thompson would “flip his ****ing lid”.

Kim told another friend to expect her to be knocking at the door in the days to follow as she may need somewhere to stay.

The trial continues.

Take a look at the Chronicle & Echo’s ongoing coverage of this trial here…

Michael Thompson: Jury sworn in as 55-year-old Northampton man stands trial for alleged rape and murder of former partner