Inside the twisted life of controlling Lotto killer who strangled his wife when she tried to leave him
AN EVIL lottery winner husband strangled his wife to stop her divorcing him and keeping half their fortune.
Twisted Michael O'Leary, then 54, was jailed for four years after a judge found him guilty of manslaughter.
O'Leary, from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, killed his wife Michelle, 39, after an argument in their home as their marriage crumbled.
She had recently told him she wanted to leave after 19 years together.
While the controlling husband had become obsessed with the idea she was unfaithful, Michelle had built a successful career for herself with transport company Fraser Eagle.
She'd passed her advanced GNVQ in Business Studies and transformed her life.
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After she gained the courage to leave him, O'Leary strangled the mum-of-two to death.
The abuser, who won £400,000 on the lottery in November 1995, was found not guilty of murder after a jury trial in 2001.
He previously denied murdering her to stop her getting a share of the money in the divorce.
He admitted causing her death but claimed it was an accident.
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It was reported at the time Michelle's family wanted to sue O'Leary for half the lottery winnings.
The couple had argued over whether he was the father of their 20-year-old daughter Catherine when he turned violent, O'Leary told a jury.
Subsequent blood tests showed he wasn't the biological dad.
Mr Justice Penry-Davey told him at the time: "You inflicted serious injures which resulted in her death albeit the jury have found you did not intend to kill her or cause her really serious bodily harm.
"You have deprived her of her life and Catherine and Ryan of their mother.
"I accept that you are remorseful but your responsibility in my judgement is heavy.
"The fact remains that by strangling her that day you caused her death."
The judge said he gave such a lenient sentence because "I loyally follow the findings of a jury".
Michelle's family audibly gasped in court when the judge revealed O'Leary would get only four years.
Their daughter Catherine was in tears as O'Leary's lawyer told the judge he needed a lesser sentence so he could rebuild his life quickly after jail.
Catherine held hands with her brother Ryan, then 16, outside the court after the trial.
She said: "We are deeply, deeply disappointed in the verdict and the sentence.
"Now we have all got to try to rebuild our lives without our mother."
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O'Leary's brother Kevin said: "This was a tragedy for the family.
"We all loved Michelle and were devastated by her death."
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
