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| Abi Fisher: Husband jailed for life for murder of Castleford teacher | Abi Fisher: Husband jailed for life for murder of Castleford teacher |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Matthew Fisher will serve a minimum term of 15 years | Matthew Fisher will serve a minimum term of 15 years |
| A man who made a social media appeal to help find his wife hours after he had smothered her and dumped her body in bushes has been jailed for life. | A man who made a social media appeal to help find his wife hours after he had smothered her and dumped her body in bushes has been jailed for life. |
| Matthew Fisher, 30, beat and strangled Abi Fisher, 29, then left their baby alone while he bundled her body into a car and disposed of it in woodland. | Matthew Fisher, 30, beat and strangled Abi Fisher, 29, then left their baby alone while he bundled her body into a car and disposed of it in woodland. |
| He then returned to the family home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and reported her as a missing person. | He then returned to the family home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and reported her as a missing person. |
| Fisher was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for a minimum of 15 years for murder. | Fisher was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for a minimum of 15 years for murder. |
| Abi Fisher, 29, was found dead on 10 July | Abi Fisher, 29, was found dead on 10 July |
| Leeds Crown Court heard Fisher told officers he had last seen primary school teacher Abi on the evening of 8 July and had woken the next day to find she was not there. | Leeds Crown Court heard Fisher told officers he had last seen primary school teacher Abi on the evening of 8 July and had woken the next day to find she was not there. |
| Hundreds of friends and colleagues joined police searches for her, with Fisher, of Walton Park Street, posting a message on Facebook pleading for help to find his wife. | |
| His post read: "Has anyone seen Abi, if you have can you please let me know or get her to give me a ring." | His post read: "Has anyone seen Abi, if you have can you please let me know or get her to give me a ring." |
| Prosecutor James Lake said while people were looking for Abi, police had checked her phone and found searches including "why does my husband hate me?" and "is marriage counselling available on the NHS?". | |
| Officers then discovered her husband's phone - and car - had been on the move when he claimed he was asleep, the court heard. | Officers then discovered her husband's phone - and car - had been on the move when he claimed he was asleep, the court heard. |
| Fisher was seen on CCTV leaving home after 04:00 BST on 9 July and returning just before 09:30. | Fisher was seen on CCTV leaving home after 04:00 BST on 9 July and returning just before 09:30. |
| While he was gone, he travelled to Lancashire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, the court was told. | While he was gone, he travelled to Lancashire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, the court was told. |
| Police found Mrs Fisher's body in bushes near a lay-by near Brierley, South Yorkshire, on 10 July - the day after she was reported missing. | Police found Mrs Fisher's body in bushes near a lay-by near Brierley, South Yorkshire, on 10 July - the day after she was reported missing. |
| She was partly covered by shrubbery and Fisher's fingerprints were on gaffer tape near the body, the court heard. | She was partly covered by shrubbery and Fisher's fingerprints were on gaffer tape near the body, the court heard. |
| Matthew Fisher had killed his wife and dumped her body by the time he posted this appeal on social media | Matthew Fisher had killed his wife and dumped her body by the time he posted this appeal on social media |
| The court heard he had left their six-month-old daughter, who had Covid-19 at the time, while he was concealing her body. | The court heard he had left their six-month-old daughter, who had Covid-19 at the time, while he was concealing her body. |
| Fisher went on to tell a psychiatrist he "lost it" after his wife told him she was "not happy and was going to move back in with her parents," Mr Lake said. | |
| The defendant claimed he put his hand over his wife's mouth to try and smother her and, when that did not work, he smothered her with a T-shirt. | The defendant claimed he put his hand over his wife's mouth to try and smother her and, when that did not work, he smothered her with a T-shirt. |
| But that did not account for all of Mrs Fisher's injuries, the court was told. | |
| 'Lied to our faces' | 'Lied to our faces' |
| The couple, who met at high school, had been married for six years and had their daughter after three rounds of IVF. | |
| Reading her victim impact statement, Mrs Fisher's mother, Andrea Richardson, told Fisher, who sat with his head in his hands throughout the hearing, to "please look at me and show me some respect". | Reading her victim impact statement, Mrs Fisher's mother, Andrea Richardson, told Fisher, who sat with his head in his hands throughout the hearing, to "please look at me and show me some respect". |
| "We treated you like a son, Matthew, and you lied to our faces," she said. | "We treated you like a son, Matthew, and you lied to our faces," she said. |
| Abi Fisher's parents said they never thought Fisher would hurt their daughter | |
| "You sat there knowing you had killed my baby girl, dragged her through the undergrowth and dumped her in the woods where you used to play as a child." | "You sat there knowing you had killed my baby girl, dragged her through the undergrowth and dumped her in the woods where you used to play as a child." |
| Mrs Richardson and her husband, Michael, said they never felt anything was wrong in their daughter's marriage and never thought Fisher would hurt her. | Mrs Richardson and her husband, Michael, said they never felt anything was wrong in their daughter's marriage and never thought Fisher would hurt her. |
| Sentencing Fisher, Tom Bayliss KC said: "You murdered your wife, the woman you loved. You left your little daughter without any parent to care for her. | |
| "By your actions you have taken one life and left the lives of so many others in tatters." | |
| Mrs Fisher's family issued a statement after the sentencing which thanked police and the public for their help in the search. | |
| They added: "We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the police who searched for Abi, our friends and family and to all the people from Castleford and surrounding areas who spent hours and hours searching for our baby girl. | They added: "We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the police who searched for Abi, our friends and family and to all the people from Castleford and surrounding areas who spent hours and hours searching for our baby girl. |
| "You have no idea what it means to us as a family to know so many people cared enough to spend their time looking for her." | "You have no idea what it means to us as a family to know so many people cared enough to spend their time looking for her." |
| If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report, you can get help and advice via the BBC Action Line. | If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report, you can get help and advice via the BBC Action Line. |
| Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. |