Kieron Goodwin was unanimously convicted of all counts in what was described in the trial as a unique case. Not only was murder the penultimate count on the 12-count indictment, the basis for the murder was not the certified cause of death and following an unsuccessful application to sever, sexual allegations against 3 women were tried alongside the murder.
Prior to the trial, the defendant pleaded guilty to 4 counts of coercive and controlling behaviour which included emotionally manipulating each of the young women to have sex with third parties and to take cocaine.
In the early hours of the 30th of July 2024, he called 999, stating that Olivia Wood, his girlfriend of a few months had stopped breathing as a result of an overdose of cocaine.
The post-mortem concluded that the cause of death was multiorgan dysfunction and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest associated with the toxic effects of cocaine. However, the paramedics at the scene noticed bruising appearing on the right side of the neck and examination during the post-mortem revealed the hyoid bone had been fractured.
The defendant made no comment during interview and did not give evidence at trial. That meant there was no evidence as to how, or importantly when, the hyoid bone was fractured, although the developing bruising noted by the paramedics suggested it had occurred close to the time of their attendance. Two pathologists confirmed that neck compression together with the effects of cocaine toxicity may well have been the tipping point which precipitated cardiac arrest, but neither could entirely exclude the neck compression having been a separate earlier event with the medical deterioration occurring sometime later.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77nm4jjen5o
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/25/ecologist-murdered-by-manipulative-boyfriend/
![M (A Child: Intermediaries) [2025] EWCA Civ 440](https://albionchambers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Monisha-Khandker-1.jpg)
