A former soldier who repeatedly stabbed his wife before travelling to London’s Euston station with multiple self-inflicted wounds has been jailed for life.
Phillip Dafter, 33, killed nurse Diana Dafter, 36, on 7 October 2022 at their home in Lawrence Court, Northampton, following an argument over their car receiving an MOT.
Stabbing her with such force that the blade of the knife broke, Dafter then drove his car to a nearby Asda to purchase a new set of knives before returning home where his wife lay dead.
Phillip Dafter purchased a set of kitchen knives shortly after murdering his wife Diana— (Northampton Police)
Judge David Herbert KC said Dafter picked up a knife with “murderous intent” and stabbed Mrs Dafter five times, with the fatal wound just below her armpit.
After drinking whisky, he stabbed himself several times before driving to Northampton train station and boarding a train to Euston, with the intention of meeting a family member to sort out his affairs.
Once the train arrived, a drunk and bleeding Dafter informed the train conductor that he needed to speak to the police.
He claimed to be “evil and a bad man” and told British Transport Police officers that he had killed his wife. He was airlifted to hospital with 10 stab wounds to his abdomen while officers from Northamptonshire Police were sent to his home address, where they discovered Mrs Dafter’s body.
She had been stabbed five times and a post-mortem examination at Leicester Royal Infirmary gave her cause of death as a single stab wound to the heart.
Diana Dafter was stabbed five times in her kitchen after an argument with her husband— (Northamptonshire Police)
Before his trial, Dafter gave differing accounts to various professionals about the incident, and claimed that “voices in his head” had told him to “end it”.
The court heard that his relationship with his wife had broken down ahead of her death, due to allegations of his infidelity and his ongoing association with a woman in Malawi.
The marriage had experienced “difficulties”, in part because of mental health issues suffered by Dafter since the death of his mother in 2015, which he claimed his wife had “failed to empathise with”.
Diana Dafter was last seen alive walking back to the home she shared with her husband— (Northamptonshire Police)
He denied murder but admitted to manslaughter, arguing loss of control and diminished responsibility. Jurors however rejected his defence and he was found guilty of her murder.
Dafter has now been jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years. The judge said the last moments of Diana’s life would have been “terrifying”.
He said: “You did nothing to help her or contact the emergency services. You must have watched her die in a pool of her own blood on the kitchen floor.
He told British Transport Police officers that he was a ‘bad man’ and had killed his wife— (Northamptonshire Police)
“You said you had a moment of madness. That is the closest you have ever come to telling the truth about what happened.”
Jailing Dafter, the judge said the couple’s marriage had become “resentful and argumentative” and Diana was “justified to believe you were considering leaving her”.
He said: “You violated the trust and security of your marriage. This was a sustained attack with a knife.
“Her last moments would have been terrifying as she did her best to protect herself. I accept you have remorse for what you did to your wife. You have accepted this killing from the outset.”
Phillip Dafter, who has been found guilty of murder (Northamptonshire Police/PA)
Paying tribute to Mrs Dafter, the judge said she was a “woman with many positive qualities”. He added: “No sentence will reduce the grief and loss her family will continue to feel.”
In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury said: “This was an extremely violent and prolonged attack that could not have come about without a very real intention to cause Diana serious harm.
“It is important to remember Diana Dafter for who she was. And that is so much more than just Phillip Dafter’s wife. She was a loving mother, daughter and friend. A student nurse with a real passion for care, hardworking, and someone very easy to get along with.”
