'You know who this is Karla?' - Northampton abuse victim feared former partner would ‘hunt her down’ in weeks before she tragically died

Victim Karla Edmonds, 37, tragically died in early December. Her death was not linked to the harassment she suffered in the final weeks of her life at the hands of her former partner Thomas Taylor.

But Ms Edmonds had to resign from her job, turn her phone off, and stop driving her car because she was so scared, a court heard.

Taylor, formerly of Northampton but now of Sea Road, Anderby, Skegness, was at Northampton Crown Court last month to plead guilty to two breaches of a restraining order.

He had stood trial in September last year for GBH against Miss Edmonds at The Columbia Hotel in Wellingborough, but the judge ordered a not guilty verdict be recorded after Ms Edmonds changed her mind about giving evidence against him.

However, on his acquittal on September 17, a ten-year restraining order was made that banned him from contacting her.

The following day he was released from prison where he had been held on remand while awaiting trial, and he immediately breached the order by making repeated attempts to contact the victim for the next 13 days.

Prosecuting, Lynsey Knott said: “Less than 48 hours after being released he made numerous telephone calls. On September 19 he phoned her ten times, and on the eleventh she answered. She heard his voice and recognised him.

"He said ‘you know who this is Karla?’.

"She described feeling overwhelmed with fear and immediately replied by saying no, you’re not allowed to contact me, before hanging up.”

During the next few days he called her a further 32 times, leaving her voicemails. He messaged her on WhatsApp and asked her to meet him, telling her he loved her and she was ‘the one for him’.

“She replied to none of these messages,” said Ms Knott.

Between September 22 and October 2 she received a further 70 messages and calls from Taylor, reiterating that he loved her and making reference to her new partner.

Ms Edmonds had to take time off work to deal with the stress of Taylor’s contact, but was asked to attend a work meeting on September 30.

Ms Knott said: “She made the decision to hand in her notice as she could no longer face working in Northampton anymore.

“She walked towards Aldi (in The Mounts) and was no more than 100m down the road from her workplace when she heard her name being shouted. She looked across the road to see the defendant.”

Ms Edmonds told Taylor he was not allowed near her, but he replied ‘that was a deep cut I did to your neck, wasn’t it?’, in reference to the alleged GBH of which he had been acquitted days earlier.

Ms Edmonds ran off, with Taylor chasing her and he was eventually stopped when a member of the public intervened.

Ms Knott read extracts from a victim personal statement which described how Ms Edmonds had frequently had to turn off her phone ‘just to get some peace’ as she was scared he would ‘hunt her down.’

"Every time she left him, she was in fear her life would end at the hands of the defendant,” said Ms Knott.

"She no longer wanted to drive her car. The fear of violence led to her resigning from work. She didn’t feel safe in public.

"She said ‘I feel that there is no-one who can stop him doing this to me.”

Miss Edmonds died on December 3.

Taylor, who appeared via videolink from HMP Peterborough, has two previous convictions, one for a breach of a domestic violence protection order that was imposed in relation to Ms Edmonds back in September 2024.

Back in December, Taylor had appeared before the court to be sentenced. But His Honour Judge David Herbert KC refused to conduct the hearing until prosecutors had gone away and probed the cause of the victim’s death to ensure it was not as a direct or indirect result of Taylor’s offending.

His order came as following a police pledge last year to prosecute more abusive men for manslaughter if their victims then went on to take their own lives.

The Crown Prosecution Service did not produce the report that Judge Herbert had ordered to be submitted to the court by January 8.

But prosecutor Lynsey Knott said that her instructing solicitors had liaised with Northamptonshire Police who had confirmed that there was no suspicion of third party involvement in Miss Edmonds’ death.

The pathologist’s report had still not been produced but Miss Edmonds’ death was believed to be for medical reasons. Miss Knott said it was not a suicide, and that there was ‘no link’ to the defendant.

Mitigating, Samantha Ball, said her client had pleaded guilty to two breaches of a restraining order at the first opportunity.

She said that the pair had known each other for 22 years after meeting while working at Morrisons. She said Ms Edmonds’ death had been ‘devastating’ for Taylor.

"They had been a couple for two-and-a-half years, so this contact was motivated by a knee-jerk (reaction) to wanting to know what happened,” said Ms Ball.

She said the 104 days he had spent in custody had given Taylor time to reflect on the impact of his actions.

"One can see from the messages that they don’t contain malice and nothing he has said was intended to be threatening. It was motivated by him wanting closure.”

She asked that any prison sentence be suspended.

Addressing Taylor, Judge Herbert said: “It should have been absolutely evident to you that you were breaching the order and that she wanted no contact with you.

"You made over 70 calls in the same vein, some of them to her new partner.

"It would have been evident to her you’d been researching her or observing her.

“In September she was required to go to work. You accosted her and you referred to a deep cut she received during a previous incident between the two of you. She would have taken the as having threatening undertones. You underestimated the impact this would have on her.

"These were very serious and persistent breaches and have caused serious harm and distress to your victim.

"Given the frequency of the breaches and the fact you also have relevant previous convictions, you have not learned your lesson.”

He gave Taylor two years in prison and discharged the restraining order.