Tributes paid to Angela Craddock a year on from her murder

Aged just 40, she had suffered more than 100 separate injuries at the hands of her partner.

Now, a year on from her death, Angela's brother David Craddock has shared his thoughts and reflections on the first 12 months without his sister:

April 10 marks one year since Angela was killed. For many, that year will feel like a year. To us, it still feels like only a couple of months have passed.

It seems only last month did we last speak to her, just a couple of weeks ago when we went to court to see her murderer jailed for 19 years.

Somehow, amongst the days, we have had countless emails, calls and meetings, birthdays and a Christmas - all without Angela.

Of course, we know it has been a year. We know that the Easter period for us going forward will always be difficult.

The last 12 months have devastated our lives, ripped a hole in our hearts that will never be filled and left us all with lingering horrors that we will never really be able to fully comprehend.

It was a shock to us all that she was in a relationship, let alone that she had died.

The flurry of emails and telephone calls following the public announcement of her death did not make it feel any more real. It would take months before any of it really felt like it had really happened.

We can not yet answer some of the questions we had surrounding the circumstances of her death. With the IOPC and DHR reviews still ongoing, we hope to one day fully understand the terrible circumstances that appear to have surrounded Angela's death.

Angela Craddock

We have struggled greatly with laws surrounding mental capacity and consent. As a family it was extremely difficult to hear that the law did not easily favor informing loved ones when someone is suffering at the hands of abuse and control.

Perhaps it is a question that only Angela could have answered, but we can't help but feel more could have been done to support Angela when she finally lifted the silence on the abuse she was suffering.

Angela Craddock was born in Warrington and grew up in Lymm before moving to Warrington at a young age.

At school she was a very bright and well-liked student, having a natural creative talent for art.

Angela had always been very fond of animals, especially cats. Claire - her most recent cat - now lives with me, and her temperament really shows how much affection and love Angela gave her.

Angela was unfortunately a somewhat forgotten victim of the IRA bombing in Warrington town centre in 1993. Having witnessed one of blasts and its aftermath whilst shopping in Stationery Box just opposite, this left a deep and lasting scar on Angela which she carried with her through to her death in 2018.

Trying to move on with her life, she lived in Oldham with her boyfriend until returning to Warrington in 2011.

She liked to spend time walking and doing crafts.

READ > Loving son and dad was struggling with mental health when he went missing

Due to her own mental health struggles, Angela was drawn to try and help others. Having completed courses on social care, Angela wanted to one day become an art therapist.

Angela was always compassionate and none judgmental towards others. She loved people, even for their faults.

Angela's Sea - one of only two of Angela Craddock's artworks her family still own

Angela, despite trying to get away from her abuser, remained silent to those who loved her most about the abuse she suffered. We will never really understand why.

Only those that have suffered or are currently suffering will understand why Angela did not speak out more. Perhaps she just put too much faith in the police and court system.

Recent changes to the law to help victims of domestic abuse allow for what is known as Claire's Law. We want to highlight what that allows for and ensure that the people of Warrington are aware it exists. Of the nine new points in the latest domestic abuse laws, only two could have helped Angela - Claire's Law being one. It relies on the public not being filled with so much apathy for their fellow man or woman, and knowing where to go with their concerns.

In a way, we hope what has happened to Angela can serve as a wake up call to everyone who is currently suffering from abuse around the importance of speaking out to those that love them most - even if they only sort of trust them. I use that phrase as it is something Angela said to me once, and I believe it to be an artefact of the abuse and control she suffered.

In today's times of austerity, it is even more important to both help and seek help from those closest to us when it's needed and not to rely on public services alone.

William Smart had only been released from prison seven days before he killed Angela Craddock - a five-month jail sentence he had been given for attacking his girlfriend and threatening her with a knife.

William Smart

Despite the conditions of his release prohibiting from doing so, he made his way 'directly' to Ms Craddock's flat on St Elphin's Close after being freed from jail.

One week later, she was punched, kicked, bitten, stamped on, hit with a guitar and stabbed with a broken drumstick in a frenzied attack at the same address.

Last sighted on CCTV leaving Sainsbury's on Church Street at around 6.30pm that evening, her injuries were so severe that she had to be identified by her fingerprints.

After a prolonged assault, Smart left the property in order to buy food and alcohol - visiting the Greenwood Fryery chip shop, Anika Indian takeaway and Bargain Booze on Marsh House Lane as well as the Famous King and Queen pub and Co-op store on Padgate Lane while covered in blood before police arrested him.

Above; CCTV footage of William Smart in the Greenwood Fryery, and, below; entering the Famous King and Queen pub

Detective inspector Kate Tomlinson, who investigated the murder, described how she had 'never come across a case of such brutality' during her 24 years in the police.

In October, then 55-year-old Smart was found guilty of murdering Angela Craddock by a majority jury of 10 to two and jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court.

The son of a successful businessman from Liverpool who had moved to Warrington around 2013 and spent much of his life living in homeless hostels, he was labelled a 'devious and manipulative' killer by judge Neil Flewitt.

At no stage during a two-week trial did he show any remorse for what he had done.

Independent Office for Police Conduct and Domestic Homicide Review probes into the contact between Cheshire Police and Smart in the months leading up to Ms Craddock's murder continue, and are expected to reveal their findings later this year.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, contact the English National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000247 or click here for help and advice about domestic abuse.

Call 999 in an emergency or if you are in immediate danger.