She found a box of photographs on her father's dining table. What was inside it ended with her burying him in the back garden.
Barbara Coombes was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of her father, Kenneth Coombes, whom she killed in 2006 and secretly buried in the back garden of his Stockport, England, home.
A Discovery
In January 2006, Barbara found a box of explicit photographs at her father's home, including images of herself as a child alongside other unidentified children. She told the court she "snapped" upon finding them, picking up a shovel she'd been using in the garden and striking her father, then 87, before he died from his injuries. She wrapped his body in a rug and buried him in the garden, later telling relatives he had died of a heart attack and been cremated privately.
A History of Abuse
Barbara told court-appointed psychiatrists she had been sexually, physically, and mentally abused by her father beginning at age five and continuing for decades, including being taken by him to a photography club as a child where men photographed her. Her defense barrister told the court there was reason to believe her deceased infant son may have been conceived through this abuse.
A Secret Kept for 12 Years
Barbara didn't come forward for more than a decade, eventually walking into a police station in 2018 and telling detectives, "I murdered my father 12 years ago." Investigators noted she had multiple opportunities to disclose what happened over the years and only did so once she had no other option.
Trial and Sentencing
Barbara pleaded guilty to manslaughter, preventing a lawful burial, and fraud, while denying murder. In sentencing her to nine years, the judge described the alleged history of abuse as devastating but stated plainly that it could not justify taking a life. He acknowledged the case had generated strong public feeling in both directions — some believing the sentence too light given her circumstances, others believing it too harsh — but said he had no doubt it was appropriate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Barbara Coombes convicted of murder?
No. She pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, along with preventing a lawful burial and fraud, and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Why did she wait 12 years to come forward?
She didn't publicly explain her reasons in detail; investigators noted she only disclosed what happened once police were closing in, rather than voluntarily earlier.
Did the court accept her history of abuse as a defense?
The judge acknowledged the alleged abuse as devastating and treated it as a significant mitigating factor in sentencing, but was explicit that it could not justify the killing itself.