Police seal off scene at Fort Crescent in Margate

by Paul Hooper

A Thanet mum-of-three has sensationally been acquitted of killing her partner who was stabbed to death at their flat.

But minutes after being found not guilty of murder, Sarah Ripley, 22, was sent to jail for 15 months for carrying out two burglaries.

She had been due to arrived Canterbury Crown Court the day after her lover James Heddington died of a knife wound in September last year.

Ripley, who was pregnant with twins at the time of the incident, told the court how the two been locked in a tug-of-war with a knife.

She said drug addict Heddington had held the weapon to his stomach and she grabbed his hands to pull it away – but in anger let go and the knife went into his stomach.

“I felt it was my fault because I let go of the knife.

“If I didn’t...he would probably still be here, “ she told the jury.

Ripley, of Fort Crescent, Margate had denied murdering the 29-year-old drug addict.

The jury took just three hours to return their not guilty verdicts on murder or manslaughter.

But after the acquittal she reappeared in the same dock to face sentence on two burglaries in May and June last year.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes told how she had confronted a householder in their own home after breaking in through a window – and then tried to bluff her way out.

Ripley pretended she had been given the lease and began picking up items before being ushered outside where officers in a passing police car arrested her.

Mr Forbes said that the householder’s stolen mobile phone was later found in the back of the vehicle.

Ripley was bailed but a month later broke into the home of a former boyfriend while he was away and took a computer, cigarettes and hair straighteners.

The ex-lover also claimed she had stolen a Rolex watch during the £2,000 raid – but this was denied by Ripley.

She was then jailed for a total of 15 months after admitting the two break-ins but had failed to turn up for her first sentencing hearing.

The case was adjourned until September – but the night before Heddington died from his wound.

Ripley told how she became pregnant with twins and Heddington started suffering from paranoia – accusing her of having “another husband”.

She told the jury that on occasions he would make a pot of tea...and pour three cups...”one for your other husband”.

Then he would sometimes go to their balcony window and whistle and shout outside: “You can come up now!”

The murder case was heard at Canterbury Crown Court

She added: “ He was paranoid. He was convinced there was somebody living in our flat and that I had another man.”

During the afternoon of the stabbing, Heddington had borrowed phones to call her but she had refused to go home – fearing they would row again.

She claimed that once at home she was punched by her lover, who then dragged her upstairs by her hair.

She said Heddington then threatened to kill himself and placed the knife against his stomach.

“He was crying and I was crying. He said: ‘My wife can watch me kill myself. Are you ready..one, two..?’. I grabbed his hands and there was a tug-of-war and eventually I shouted: “Well if you are going to f----- do it..then just do it’”, she claimed.

After the knife went into his stomach she told the jury: “I knew he hadn’t meant to do it from the look of shock on his face. It was a complete accident.”

Heddington told her he needed to go to hospital but as he walked down stairs he collapsed and died later.

Ripley said she then panicked and hid the knife under a carpet – fearing if the authorities knew she would lose her children.