Shaye Groves: ‘Obsessively jealous’ murderer had ‘preoccupation with killing’ and never used dagger for pagan rituals, judge says

The 27-year-old was jailed for a minimum term of 23 years on Wednesday at Winchester Crown Court for the brutal murder of Frankie Fitzgerald in her Botley Drive, Leigh Park, bedroom on July 17 last year.

During the trial, Groves described herself as ‘dark and twisted’. Inside her bedroom she had knives, axes, gangster books, a coffin bookcase, framed pictures of serial killers on her wall, and a BB gun in her drawer.

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Judge Timothy Kerr, in his summing up, told Groves: ‘You started identifying yourself as a “goth”, cultivating a dark and ghoulish humour, a preoccupation with crime, killing and killers and a strong interest in lethal weapons, rape pornography and rough sex with some consensual violence such as spanking.

‘You acquired the habit of carrying a flick-knife in the heel of your boot when you went outdoors and kept a Celtic dagger, a ball bearing gun and two axes in your bedroom.’

Referring to Groves’ claims of having the dagger for religious purposes, the judge said: ‘I reject your suggestion that the dagger was intended for use in pagan religious rites. I have seen no evidence apart from your own account that you have ever taken part in any such activities.

‘The weapons were, as you have admitted, intended to be used if you decided you needed to use them. They were or became part of your bedroom furniture when about three years ago you moved into the property where the murder later took place.’

Judge Kerr continued: ‘Your relationship with Frankie was marked by rough sex, use of cocaine and alcohol, filming yourselves doing sexual acts and watching the film afterwards and role play involving humiliating language.’

He added: ‘Testing the boundaries of acceptable sexual activity became part of the increasingly dangerous dynamic of the relationship.’

Referring to the recordings of sex between the two, the judge agreed with the Crown’s argument that she had edited the videos. ‘You deliberately selected the parts of that sexual activity which portrayed Frankie inflicting or appearing to inflict non-consensual sexual violence on you, to convey the false impression that his actions were abusive of you to a far greater extent than they actually were,’ he said.

The judge said the pair were involved in a ‘destructive cycle’ before adding: ‘You started to become convinced that he did not love you. Your own passionate, almost obsessive jealousy started to blossom. You became convinced that he preferred his former partner, the mother of his two children, to you.’

Judge Kerr went on to say Groves ‘loved’ Frankie and ‘(you) just wanted him to love you back’, before adding: ‘On the other hand, you were resentful, possessive and jealous and wanted to punish him for preferring his ex-girlfriend and forsaking you.’

Referring to Groves’ claims she had cancer, judge Kerr said: ‘You told him you had cancer, which was untrue. You also told others the same thing, using it to exert influence, inspiring pity, co-operation and sometimes gifts of money.’