Michael Thompson: Sister of alleged murder victim recalls defendant telling her to ‘have a good day’ before finding out
The older sister of the 43-year-old woman allegedly killed by her ex-partner has recalled that the defendant told her to “have a good day” during a call on the day of the incident, before finding out her sibling had passed away.
Michael Thompson, of Pinewood Road, pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder of 43-year-old Kimberley Thompson – who was found dead at a home in Pinewood Road 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 Tuesday, May 26.
Kim’s older sister Dionne Bounds was called upon by the prosecution to give evidence on Thursday, May 28, and she confirmed that Kim started dating Thompson when she was at university.
Dionne says Kim “seemed happy in the beginning” but told the court there was an argument between the two sisters about the marriage as Dionne did not believe Kim was ready.
Dionne believes Kim was “pressured” and the older sister was given an ultimatum about apologising to Thompson for “saying the wedding was a joke”. The court heard Dionne apologised but was still not welcome to attend.
When asked by prosecution barrister Miranda Moore KC about Kim’s behaviour during the marriage, the older sister explained she started not seeing friends, did not socialise as much and “never came out as adults in the evening as friends”. Dionne says this caused too many problems and arguments at home for Kim.
Dionne was aware that Kim had an affair during her relationship with Thompson, and that the defendant had an affair afterwards to “punish” Kim for what she had done. Dionne knew the lady as they all worked in the same workplace, and she believes Thompson “picked the person purposefully as Kim thought she was attractive”.
Dionne told the court that she saw Kim with a black eye on two separate occasions – she saw a photo of one and the other face-to-face. She also recalled Kim with “marks round her neck” when Thompson “grabbed her up by her neck” and threw her across the room.
Kim did not disclose to Dionne how she got the black eyes, just that Thompson did it, and the older sister also recalled when Thompson burst Kim’s ear drum and she went to hospital, the court heard.
Dionne spoke of an argument when Thompson pushed Kim out of the second floor window of their house, and said Thompson knew she would not have fallen all the way to the ground because of their extension.
The jury were told of how Kim confided in Dionne about having been raped by Thompson, which Dionne alleges to have happened nine years ago – as it was around the time the older sister’s relationship with her current partner began.
Kim called Dionne “hysterically crying” as the sisters were supposed to meet up that night. Dionne started crying in the courtroom as she recalled that Kim would not let her know where she was to pick her up, which meant she could not do anything.
Dionne told the court that Thompson would underline bits of books that called Kim “narcissistic” and when Kim visited Dionne, she asked “is this who I am?”. Dionne says she told her younger sister this was not “normal behaviour”.
Dionne said that Kim was not herself anymore until the last couple of months before her passing, when she decided to “get out and have a life”. Their mother helped Kim purchase the house she was planning to move to.
Dionne was aware of the new relationship Kim was in, with plans for the sisters and their partners to meet up the week after the 43-year-old had passed away. The court heard that Dionne met Kim’s new partner at her funeral.
Miss Moore KC questioned what Kim was like leading up to her death, and Dionne says she was going to the gym with her three times a week and “taking care of herself”. She would ask her older sister’s advice about what to wear and was “looking forward to things”.
‘Have a good day’
The court heard that Dionne received a telephone call from Thompson at around 11am on the day of Kim’s death (August 9, 2025).
Dionne picked up the phone because she thought it was Kim. Kim was saved as ‘K Thompson’ in her phone, and Thompson as ‘Thompson’. Dionne was in the car on the way to a theme park with her newly-passed driver son at the wheel. She could not remember another occasion when Thompson had phoned her before.
Dionne answered with “hi Kim” as she believed it was her sister and then explained why she thought it was Kim because of how the names were saved in her phone. Thompson asked Dionne if she was at home, she proceeded to tell him where she was, and the defendant told her to “have a good day”.
Dionne messaged and phoned Kim to see if she was okay, requesting for her to get in contact as soon as possible, as she believed Thompson was checking to see if Kim was with her.
The prosecution proceeded to go through text messages exchanged between Kim and Dionne starting from New Year’s Eve 2024. The contents of these messages included that Thompson had accessed Kim’s phone despite not being together, how Thompson cleared out everything from Kim’s room to decorate, and that Thompson had seen all of Kim’s messages with her new partner.
The trial continues.
Older sister’s relationship with Thompson was ‘not a straightforward one’
Defence barrister Mr Hankin KC cross-examined Dionne and began by asking: “The death of your sister has been absolutely devastating for you, hasn’t it?”. To which Dionne agreed.
She also agreed that the relationship she had with Thompson when Kim was alive was “not a straightforward one”.
Mr Hankin KC continued: “Is it possible that the grief and anger that you feel for the death of your sister has coloured in any way your recollection of her relationship with Mr Thompson?.” “No,” replied Dionne.
Dionne agreed that she never saw Thompson physically or sexually assault Kim, nor verbally insult her younger sister. Dionne clarified that Thompson “made sure no one was around” when physical assaults took place and she only saw him at family occasions.
Dionne told the court she believes the date of one of the black eyes was three years ago and could not pinpoint the other, but believes they both happened in the last nine years. The court heard there was one occasion when Kim did not want to go to the door to see her mum with a black eye.
The trial continues.
Take a look at the Chronicle & Echo’s ongoing coverage of this trial here…