Woman Convicted of Christmas Day Murder of Ex-Partner After Discovering Tinder Profile

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A 33-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her ex-partner in a stabbing attack carried out on Christmas Day 2024. The fatal incident occurred after she viewed his dating profile online and acted out of what prosecutors described as “anger and jealousy”.

Kirsty Carless, from Cannock, Staffordshire, was convicted at Stafford Crown Court for the murder of 31-year-old Louis Price. The court heard that Carless stabbed Mr Price in the heart in the early hours of 25 December at his parents’ home in Norton Canes, shortly after a friend sent her a screenshot of his Tinder dating profile. Carless, who was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time, had been on police bail for a prior assault involving Price just weeks earlier.

The jury, made up of seven men and five women, delivered unanimous verdicts on charges of murder and possession of an offensive weapon following approximately a day of deliberations. Carless was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm from a previous incident in November 2024. However, she was acquitted of intentional strangulation in relation to the same episode.

On Christmas Eve, Carless had been drinking heavily with a male friend at a local pub. The court was told the pair later went to his home, where they had sex multiple times. At around 1:30am on Christmas Day, Carless received a screenshot of Price’s Tinder profile from a female friend. This reportedly enraged her.

Carless then returned home by taxi, retrieved a kitchen knife, and booked another taxi to the address where she believed Price was staying. CCTV footage captured her running towards the house, entering the property using a key, and later following Mr Price through the garden. He was found fatally wounded on the conservatory floor with a single stab wound to the chest.

Phone records showed that Carless made 45 calls to Price within a 30-minute window between 2:15am and 2:44am, only pausing briefly to check the status of her taxi. Upon arriving at the property at approximately 3:00am, she asked the taxi driver to wait outside.

The driver later told police that shortly after Carless entered the home, he heard a “very loud and prolonged” scream. She returned to the vehicle within two minutes, visibly distressed and sweating, and requested to be taken to her parents’ house. Upon arrival, she reportedly admitted the stabbing, and police were contacted immediately.

Carless remains in custody and is expected to be sentenced at a later date.