A 'unspeakably evil' man who murdered his girlfriend on the night she planned to end their relationship has been jailed for life.

Kieron Goodwin, 33, fatally strangled 'sweet soul' Olivia Wood, 29, who he had been in a relationship with for fewer than three months, in the early hours of Tuesday 30 July 2024.

Goodwin was initially arrested on suspicion of intentional strangulation later that day after making a 999 call to the ambulance service at 2:50am, before being further arrested on suspicion of murder following Olivia's tragic death in hospital.

It followed a campaign of physical and psychological abuse in which Goodwin threatened to harm himself, forcing Olivia to take time off from work.

WhatsApp messages showed he tried to pressure her into having sex with another man, despite her repeatedly refusing, and Olivia also transferred Goodwin over £6,000 to help him pay bills, which he spent on cocaine.

During the police investigation, a packed suitcase and bags filled with Olivia's clothes and toiletries was found, with the court told this suggested she was planning to leave.

Yesterday (Thurs), Goodwin – from Frome, Somerset – was sentenced to life imprisonment, after being found guilty of murder by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on 24 April at the end of a five-week trial.

Goodwin was also convicted of 15 other offences committed against Olivia and three other women over a five-year period, including four counts of rape and five counts of causing person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

Judge Martin Picton told a court that he would serve a minimum of 35 years behind bars, minus the 279 days Goodwin spent in custody.

He said: "I have to sentence you for the murder of Olivia and the emotional and sexual abuse of three other women.

"You are highly manipulative, determined, [and] selfish individual.

"Throughout these four relationships you were determined to do as much harm to the victims as possible.

"All four of them were victims of your controlling and coercive behaviour and you were determined to get your hooks into them and to never let them go.

"These were terrible crimes committed over a period of years, during which you perfected your techniques to ruin the lives of three victims and take the life of a fourth.

"On the night of Olivia's murder, you did not call 999 straight away – first you called 111 and then you called one of your swinger friends.

"And you have failed to show any remorse.

"Olivia's family will never recover from her death."

During her five-week murder trial, a court heard Goodwin would ply the victims with drugs and threaten to send compromising photos to friends, family or work colleagues.

He also made them hand over tens of thousands of pounds which he used to fund his cocaine habit and lifestyle while also threatening to harm himself if anyone rejected him in any way.

On the night of Olivia's murder, the killer told paramedics: "I've killed her. It's all my fault. Oh my god, is she going to die? What have I done?"

Goodwin was charged with one count of sexual assault by penetration, one count of intentional strangulation, and three counts of controlling and coercive behaviour.

He admitted controlling and coercive behaviour against each of the victims, but denied the other offences, claiming they had consented to the sexual activity.

However, he was found guilty by the jury of all the offences against all four victims.

In a victim impact statement read at court, Astrid Wood, Olivia's mother, said: "She [Olivia] is my sunshine, my love and my heart – I held her in my arms as a baby and her blue eyes looked at me with great expectations.

"She had a sweet sense of humour and she was the kindest and most caring person I know.

"She had a brief relationship with an unspeakably evil man – this should not have happened, she was too young, taken too soon."

One of Olivia's three sisters, Kyra Wood, described her killer as a "psychopath and sociopath".

He also described her sister as a "sweet soul" and "the kindest and most caring person" she knows.

Another of Olivia's sisters Tamara Wood added: "There is no shame on Olivia, the shame is only on him."