Phillip Dafter handed life sentence after murdering his wife in Northampton home

A man has been sentenced to life in prison after killing his wife in their Northampton home.

Phillip Dafter was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday (July 25) at Northampton Crown Court after he stood trial for his wife’s murder at the same court in April this year.

The 33-year-old admitted manslaughter after he stabbed his 36-year-old wife Diana Dafter at their family home in Lawrence Court, Lower Mounts on the morning of October 7, 2022. He denied murder arguing that his responsibility was diminished.

Addressing Phillip Dafter in his sentencing remarks, His Honour Judge David Herbert KC said: “You picked up a knife in the kitchen and attacked your wife with murderous intent.

“Those last minutes of her life would have been utterly terrifying.

“You violated the trust and security of your marriage and murdered Diana Dafter in her own home. It was a sustained attack and you did nothing to help her, nor call the emergency services.”

Dafter stabbed his wife a total of five times and inflicted around 12 knife injuries all over her body. A pathologist determined that she died from a single stab wound to the heart and found injuries consistent with her trying to push the blade away during the attack.

After fatally stabbing his wife and leaving her in their kitchen to bleed out, Dafter tried to stab himself with the same knife, the court heard. However, the blade broke so he drove himself to Asda to buy more knives.

Dafter stabbed himself in the abdomen several times with the knives and then drove himself to Northampton Railway Station, where he caught a train to London Euston as he bled and drank whiskey.

At Euston Station, he confessed to British Transport Police that he killed his wife.

Dafter was airlifted to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where he was treated for his stab wounds. Just six days after the stabbing, he told a doctor doing a mental health assessment on him that he had been “driven” to killing his wife following an argument about their car and described it as a “moment of madness.”

Following the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury, said: “Today, it’s really important to recognise that Diana Dafter was, and is, so much more than this man’s victim.

“She was a loving person, daughter and friend. A student nurse with a real passion for care, hardworking, and someone very easy to get along with.

“Her life and bright future was cut short by Phillip Dafter in a violent and prolonged attack and though today’s sentence will be of little comfort to her family and those that loved her, I hope it will help them to know that the man who did this will now spend an exceptionally long time in prison.

“This is an utterly tragic case and a stark reminder of why tackling violence against women and girls remains a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police.

“My thoughts remain with Diana’s family and I hope today has also offered them some semblance of closure after this lengthy court process.

“Finally, I would like to thank everyone at Northamptonshire Police for their work on this investigation as well as our colleagues at the British Transport Police for their assistance. Together we have secured justice for Diana and put her killer - Phillip Dafter, where he belongs - behind bars.”