On a chilly Easter Sunday morning in Manchester, a man entered a police station and confessed to the murder of his girlfriend.
The victim, Kelly Anne Bates, was a young girl from Hattersley, only 14 years old when she encountered James Patterson Smith, who was significantly older at 32 years her senior. Their acquaintance began when Kelly was babysitting for a friend of Smith’s, and from that night on, their relationship took a dark and disturbing turn.
Smith, a divorced man known for being “house-proud” and well-groomed, had a history of extreme jealousy and violence in his two marriages to Janice Anderson. Tina Martin, who dated Smith in 1970, recounted instances of his violent behavior, including holding her underwater in a bathtub, describing herself as enduring constant abuse throughout their relationship.
In 1993, Smith started grooming Kelly Anne, and it remained a secret from her parents, Tommy and Margaret Bates, until she turned 16. By November 1995, Kelly Anne had moved in with Smith, concealing their significant age gap from her family. Concerned, Margaret Bates expressed unease about Smith upon meeting him after Kelly Anne moved in, stating her efforts to separate them were in vain.
As time passed, Kelly Anne distanced herself from her parents, showing signs of physical abuse whenever she did visit, which she dismissed as accidents. Eventually, she cut off contact entirely. The last time her parents saw her was on November 30, 1995, with hopes of a Christmas reunion dashed when she failed to appear. Kelly Anne maintained sporadic phone contact but eventually ceased communication.
In March 1996, her parents received unsigned cards from Kelly Anne, leading to concerns about her well-being. Despite attempts to check on her, Smith provided evasive responses, and Kelly Anne was briefly shown to neighbors but not allowed visitors.
Smith’s shocking confession at a police station on April 16 led officers to discover Kelly Anne’s lifeless body in his home. The scene was gruesome, with Kelly Anne subjected to horrific injuries, including burns, stabbings, and mutilations. The autopsy revealed she had endured 150 injuries, with her eyes gouged out and other disfigurements. Her death was ruled as drowning, after being starved and kept in inhumane conditions in the final month of her life.
Smith’s trial in November 1997 at Manchester Crown Court exposed the extent of his sadistic torture of Kelly Anne. Despite his denials and claims of provocations from the victim, the jury swiftly found him guilty of murder. The judge sentenced Smith to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years, emphasizing the depravity of his actions and labeling him as a dangerous abuser of women.