A WOMAN found guilty of the manslaughter of her friend has been jailed for more than eight years.
Keegan Barnes, from Thornaby, near Stockton, was found guilty last Thursday of the manslaughter of Toni Butler following a trial. She was found not guilty of murder.
Toni Butler, 25, died after being stabbed twice in the leg last June 10.
The 28-year-old was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison at Teesside Crown Court on Monday. Barnes had maintained throughout the trial that she had acted in self-defence.
The court heard had Ms Butler had died of catastrophic blood loss after suffering two stab wounds to her calf – one piercing a main vein.
Both women had been drinking and taking drugs in the lead-up to the fatal incident, with Ms Butler spotted on CCTV wandering around the local neighbourhood alone.
The attack happened at Barnes' home in Vulcan Way, Thornaby.
The pair had spent much of the previous day together, apparently on friendly terms, before a fight broke out in the bedroom of the house at around 4.15am.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Ms Butler had two lacerations to her head, one of which may have been caused by a fall. Barnes is believed to have struck her victim twice in the bedroom and once more as she lay on the stairs, where she died.
Addressing Barnes, Judge Justice Lavender said: “Toni Butler was a young woman of 25. You ended her life and brought grief and misery to the lives of others.”
Mother Michelle Butler read out a moving statement in court in which she set out the devastating affect her daughter’s death has had on her family and friends.
Read more: Heartbroken family pay tribute to Toni Butler after death
Mr Justice Lavender said Barnes’s actions were “excessive self defence” but condemned her use of a weapon. “Your use of a knife represented a serious escalation in the nature of the violence,” he said. “In addition to stabbing her twice, you struck her twice in the bedroom and once downstairs.”
The court heard Barnes had attempted cover-up the killing by undressing Ms Butler, cleaning her body and putting a new night shirt on her. She is believed to have put the washing machine on twice, put clothes out to dry, put other stained items in a bag, tried to wipe blood stains from the walls, and even started painting the walls to cover the blood stains.
Yet her attempts were labelled “extensive and futile” by Judge Justice Lavender.
The time of the attack is unclear, but Ms Butler was later found dead by paramedics inside the house at 12.45pm
CCTV footage played in court showed the moment Barnes used her victim’s bank card to buy crisps from a local shop. Barnes visited the One Stop across the road from her house at around 7.30am dressed in a blue nightie while Ms Butler lay dying or was already dead.
An attempt to buy a scratch card with Ms Butler's bank card was declined, with Barnes instead leaving the shop with a packet of Space Raiders.
Read more: CCTV shows killer Keegan Barnes after fatal Toni Butler attack
The court heard Barnes had a previous convictions and cautions for affray, battery, and common assault. However, she is not deemed to pose a risk to the public.
Sentencing Barnes to eight years and six months in prison, Judge Justice Lavender said: “Your offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.
“No one will ever really know why you did this. Thanks to your actions Toni Butler cannot tell us anything about it. You have repeatedly shown that you cannot tell the truth about it, and you were intoxicated.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel