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MUM'S AGONY
My daughter was beaten to death then dumped in suitcase by her husband…I’m haunted by thought she screamed out for me
Mum's horror as she was unable to even recognise daughter following brutal murder
NOBODY will ever know what Kirsty Grabham thought in her final moments as her husband battered her to death.
The 24-year-old model was violently attacked by Paul Grabham at their home in Swansea, Wales, after a night out.
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Grabham then tried to cut the model in half before shoving her mutilated body in a suitcase and hurling it from a car window on the M4.
When she was eventually found 10 days later, police discovered Kirsty was "still warm" when she was crushed into the bag - suggesting she may have been alive still.
This chilling theory is one that has plagued her mum Cathy Broomfield in the 15 years since the brutal murder.
She is also haunted by her daughter's final moments and fears Kirsty may have called out for her with her dying breaths as her life was cruelly snuffed out by violent and controlling Grabham.
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Speaking on documentary The Suitcase Murders on discovery+, the weeping mum said: "To know she didn't die instantly is such a kick in the teeth. It really, really is.
"I can just imagine him grabbing her like a ragdoll because of the size of her to him - he must have been bouncing her off the walls and kicking her and punching her and breaking her nose and her jaw then shoving her in that suitcase."
Cathy continued: "She really did not deserve that, nobody does. All I can think about is her screaming for me as she's being murdered: 'Mum where are you? You're not looking after me now. Why are you not here?'
"What was she thinking when she was being battered to death?"
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Kirsty and Grabham had only just got married just four months before the brutal murder in April 2009.
Although it was a whirlwind romance, the model had always wanted a husband and family and appeared happy at first.
Chilling moment husband who murdered bride on their wedding night wheels away suitcase after stuffing her body inside
But cracks soon started to appear in their relationship and Grabham's "Prince Charming" mask quickly slipped.
In one chilling diary entry before her death, Kirsty had written: "Paul, I don't know why you went mad tonight for no reason whatsoever you just went mental and flew off the handle.
"I was sitting here on the edge of the sofa wondering what you're going to do next."
On March 27, 2009, the couple had gone out in Swansea but Grabham stormed off and got a cab home.
Kirsty returned home later and messaged a pal saying her husband was asleep on the floor so she could have the bed to herself.
Three days later, Grabham walked into a police station and reported her missing - but failed to leave out key details from the last night Kirsty was seen alive.
Brutal killing
Police soon discovered the couple had a blazing row while they were out and there was a history of domestic abuse in their relationship.
Grabham had been on dogging websites trawling for sex and had strangled Kirsty previously.
Officers believed they had their main suspect but were struggling to find proof - especially as they still didn't have a body.
But on April 4, Grabham was arrested on suspicion of murder and police were able to search the marital home.
They discovered blood splatters on the walls and ceiling that had been painted over - suggesting there had been a violent attack.
Then, two days later, a lorry driver discovered a hand wearing a wedding ring stuffed in a suitcase off the M4 motorway.
Kirsty's bones had been snapped in an act of "savagery" so she was able to be crushed into the bag.
It was like something out of a horror film, she was such a state. You couldn't even recognise the beautiful girl she was
Mum Cathy
Grabham had also attempted to cut his wife in half before putting her still-warm body inside.
Police were able to establish bin bags used to wrap Kirsty's feet matched those used by the couple at their home.
Mum Cathy said: "Police told me the body of a young woman has been found in a suitcase. I remember trying to stand up and I was going to fall back down again
"We walked into that mortuary and I kept denying it. To see your child ending up in a mortuary slab like that beaten beyond recognition.
"I didn't want it to be Kirsty, it didn't look like Kirsty. To me it wasn't Kirsty. It was like something out of a horror film, she was such a state. You couldn't even recognise the beautiful girl she was - her nose was broken, her jaw was broken.
"I kissed her on the forehead and on the right cheek - that's all I was allowed to do. I couldn't even hold her hand - she was a piece of evidence."
Grabham was charged with murder but put Kirsty's family through the agony of a full trial.
The killer claimed intruders must have broken in while he was asleep and murdered his wife.
You crammed her bleeding and still warm body into a suitcase like rubbish, hoping it would not be found for many years.
Mr Justice Butterfield
But jurors saw through his lies and he was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years after pleading guilty to murder.
Mr Justice Butterfield told Grabham that is actions had been “cold and calculated” and without remorse.
"I have watched throughout this trial for the merest flicker of remorse in your eyes and I have seen none,” he said.
"You have been convicted of murder - just one year after you promised to love and cherish your new bride, you battered and strangled her to death.
"You crammed her bleeding and still warm body into a suitcase like rubbish, hoping it would not be found for many years."
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.
Although Grabham was finally behind bars, Cathy's heartbreak continued when her eldest daughter Hayley drank herself to death after struggling to cope with her loss.
Determined to share her horrific experiences to help other, she wrote a book about the double loss.
The brave mum has also helped other victims of domestic abuse.
Speaking about Kirsty's suffering, she said: "A baby and a nice marriage, that's all she needed but sadly she never got it because of evil.
"For the short time she was here on earth, she really did make an impact - a long-lasting one."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
- Catch 'The Suitcase Murders' on Quest Red on Saturdays. Also available to stream on discovery+
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