Police Inspector Jailed For Murdering Wife

A Police Inspector from Wilmslow, Cheshire has been jailed for at least 19 years for strangling his wife to death.

Darren McKie admitted a charge of manslaughter part way through his trial, but a jury went on to convict him of murder. 

The 44-year-old had three children with his wife Leanne, 39, who also worked for the Greater Manchester force, but as a Detective Constable. 

In the lead up to her death the couple had amassed debts of over £100,000 on top of a £300,000 mortgage. 

On the day she was killed, Leanne discovered that Darren had been lying to her about the extent of their money issues and had applied for multiple loans in her name without her consent. 

It's thought he killed her at around lunchtime on Thursday 28 September and waited until night time to dispose of her body. 

He drove it in her mini to Poynton lake where he dumped her. 

After that in the early hours of Friday 29 September he was stopped twice by police officers as he walked back home. 

The second time officers noticed he wasn't wearing any shoes and decided to give him a lift home where they discovered he had left his three children alone. 

Concerned by his behaviour the officers consulted their supervisor for advice. At 3:45am police received a call about a body being found at Poynton lake.  

Mr. McKie was arrested and many pieces of evidence were gathered during the investigation, including the discovery of his shoes. 

They were found in a wheelie bin with traces of Leanne's blood on them and soil which samples taken at Poynton Lake. 

Detective Inspector Adam Waller said: “This has been a complex and challenging investigation and while I am pleased with the verdict reached by the jury, there is no escaping the tragedy in this case.

"Three young children have lost their mother in the most heartbreaking of circumstances and the investigation has never lost sight of the importance of establishing the truth for them.

“Darren McKie clearly thought he could get away with murdering his own wife – and used the knowledge gained as a police officer to try and systematically cover his tracks and dispose of evidence, with the aim of creating the impression that his wife had been murdered by someone else."

Following the conclusion of the case Leanne’s parents, Ellen and Ray Dodd, said: “Justice has been served today. Our lives will never be the same again. There are no winners in this trial. We have lost our beautiful daughter and our grandchildren have lost their beloved mummy.

“We would like to thank our family and friends for their love and support they have given us through these tragic times. Also Leanne’s friends and her colleagues from work for all their kind words.

“We cannot thank Cheshire Police enough for all their hard work and dedication. Last of all we would like to thank our two liaison officers for their professionalism and guidance through these last six months we are so grateful.”