ASHLEY KEMP STRANGLED HIS GIRLFRIEND AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED RAPE
A skydivinginstructor has been sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in jail after being found guilty of murdering his partner amid allegations he’d sexually assaulted a teenage girl. Ashley Kemp, 55, originally pleaded guilty to manslaughter, claiming he acted in self-defence, but the jury at Grimsby Crown Court took less than four hours to convict him of the greater charge.
Kemp, of Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, had been in a relationship with fellow skydiving instructor Clair Armstrong, 50, for two years, and both worked at a local Drop Zone skydiving centre. But it was claimed Clair was considering ending things after Kemp was accused of attempted rape. At trial, prosecutor Richard Thyne KC said, “In the late summer of 2022, the defendant was informed a teenage girl had made allegations of a sexual nature against him. He was arrested and interviewed about the allegations, and denied them. As things stand, no decision has been taken as to whether he is to be charged with any offence. [But] in the days and weeks leading up to her death, Clair Armstrong told friends her relationship with the defendant was struggling due to his change of circumstances.”
The court heard that the pair had begun arguing over the allegations at Clair’s Messingham home after returning from an evening out on 5 November 2022. In distressing testimony, Kemp described his version of the events that ensued. He said, “I was saying the bail being extended was a good thing because [it meant] they [the police] had not been able to find anything… but it got heated. [Clair] advised me to start packing. She was quite hysterical. She went downstairs and grabbed some black bags. I jumped out of bed. When I moved towards her, she lashed out… Because she was pushing me and hitting me, I leant forward and headbutted her… I wanted her to stop and calm down. That was the only way I could do it.” He then admitted strangling her, saying, “She was at the end of the bed.
She fell into the cupboard. She was struggling for breath… and then she stopped.” The jurors also heard that Kemp had previously told police, “I snapped. It was like the red mist coming over,” adding, “I didn’t realise it was going to be her end… Maybe I held on too long. I don’t know, but I didn’t want her to start saying it again.”
CAR CRASH
Kemp dialled 999 at 12.41am on 6 November – which he claimed was around two hours after Clair had died – telling the ca
