Tradesman casually ‘had pint after work’ then brutally stabbed ex-wife to demise
A tradesman who “appeared like he was just having a pint after work” mere hours before he fatally stabbed his ex-wife has been jailed for life. Gavin Shaw brutally murdered his estranged spouse Michele Kennedy inside their former marital home.
The savage and unprovoked attack was seemingly driven by revenge after she had found a new boyfriend while holidaying in Turkey. The 55-year-old victim was reportedly on the brink of a “new lease of life” and “new chapter” following the conclusion of their “volatile and toxic” relationship.
Today (April 2) Shaw was sentenced to life imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court. He was told he must serve a minimum of 14 years and 196 days before he can be considered for release.
Senior crown prosecutor Paul Shepherd, of CPS Mersey‑Cheshire, said: “Gavin Shaw murdered his former wife in a violent and deliberate attack that ended her life and devastated those who knew her. This was not a spontaneous or excusable act. Michelle Kennedy was entitled to live her life free from fear and violence particularly in her own home.
“Our thoughts remain with Michelle Kennedy’s family and friends as they continue to come to terms with her death.”
After brutally stabbing his ex-wife, the court heard how Shaw returned to his son’s house in a “calm and vacant” state, where he “sat in the back garden and had a cigarette” while family and bystanders desperately tried to save her life.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Shaw and Ms Kennedy had been married for approximately 12 years but had separated around three months prior to the incident on 13 October last year. This resulted in the 62-year-old defendant moving out of their home on Manchester Road in Woolston, Warrington, and relocating to his son Adam’s house two doors away, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Andrew Ford KC, prosecuting, said of the relationship: “Family members and others who had known Ms Kennedy and Mr Shaw well when they were a couple spoke of there being problems. Adam’s partner Hayley said that Gavin Shaw would often come to stay with them temporarily when he and Michele had domestic difficulties.”
Both Shaw and Ms Kennedy were said to have holidayed together to the Canary Islands in the spring of 2025 and again later in the year, but these trips had “gone so badly” that they ultimately travelled home on separate flights on both occasions. Mr Ford added of the second vacation: “Shortly afterwards, they separated. As far as the family and Michele Kennedy were aware, this was a permanent split.”
Michele’s mum Patricia Lawton said her daughter was “feeling differently about life, being in a better place, looking after her appearance and moving on” while they were on holiday between 19 and 26 September 2025, during which she “had a romance” with a man she had encountered abroad, Gordon Riddick. However, Shaw was said to have carried on “pestering” his former partner via text messages while she was away.
During the morning before the killing, Gavin was said to have messaged Ms Kennedy’s mum, son and a “mutual contact” saying “never thought she was a slag”, accompanied by “vomiting emojis”, after he had “plainly got wind of the fact that Michele had been with a man”. The next day, he purchased four cans of Strongbow from a Co-op store close to his home before heading to work with his son, who employed his father in his own tiling business.
Shaw was described as a regular customer at the shop in question, with a staff member recalling him saying during this visit shortly before 8am: “She’s had a good weekend. She’s met with two fellas off holiday.”
Mr Ford continued regarding Shaw’s conduct in the hours preceding the stabbing: “At 9.45am, he sent another text to a contact which said this. ‘She’s had a good weekend s***ging in Manchester’. The evidence is that Michele Kennedy’s situation was on his mind that morning, the day that he killed her.
“After work, in the early afternoon, the defendant and his son went for a drink at the local Warrington Conservative Club. It is a venue that he knew and went to often. Footage showed that the dad and son drank several pints. A witness noted that Gavin ‘appeared like he was just having a pint after work, as I’ve seen him do many times’. ‘He didn’t seem agitated. When he left, he appeared his normal self, saying goodbye to me’.
“The evidence is that the vehicle they had gone to work in arrived back on Manchester Road at 12 minutes to four on the 13th, in the afternoon. Adam Shaw asked his father if he would go and get £50 from the cashpoint for a takeaway. Mr Shaw left. He took Adam’s bank card. At eight mins to four, footage from the Sainsburys opposite the addresses captures Mr Shaw leaving his front door and walking some little way on the pavement.”
After returning to his son’s house with “blood on his hands”, a “calm and vacant” Shaw then encountered his daughter-in-law Hayley Higgins doing the washing-up, at which point he informed her: “Hayley, I’ve stabbed Michele. You need to go and help her.”
Adam Shaw was also present at the time and “heard Mr Shaw snr confess”, stating that he had “used a Ninja knife to stab Michele”. He then seized a towel and rushed to Ms Kennedy’s assistance while his father “went and sat in the back garden and had a cigarette”.
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