Michael Thompson found guilty of murdering his wife

The jury at Nottingham Crown Court has this morning returned a guilty verdict in the Kimberley Thompson murder trial

Jul 08, 2026

By Sarah Ward

Michael Thompson raped and murdered his wife. Instagram.

Michael Thompson has been convicted of killing his wife Kimberley at their Northampton home.

Just before 11am the jury at Nottingham Crown Court delivered its verdict ruling that the former bouncer had raped and killed his younger wife at their Pinewood Avenue home and then tried to pervert the course of justice by covering up her death by staging a fake suicide.

During six weeks of evidence, the murder trial revealed the controlling and coercive marriage that civil servant Kim Thompson, 43, was trapped within for almost two decades.

Hardworking mother Kim Thompson was murdered by her husband after suffering years of abuse. Family photo.

After hoping for years to escape her marriage - she referred herself to a domestic abuse centre in Northampton more than a decade ago but then retracted her statement - in the summer of last year it appeared that civil servant Kim, who worked at the courts centre in Northampton, was on the cusp of getting away from her domestic tormentor.

But after finding out about her new partner and hearing she wanted a bigger financial settlement in their divorce, Thompson, 56, who had two children with Kim as well as two children by an earlier relationship, on the hot summer night of August 9, decided to kill his wife.

Sometime after midnight he went downstairs to their daughter’s room where Kim was sleeping on a makeshift mattress and after raping her he then suffocated her.

He then went around the house gathering family photographs - including a montage of her dead sister and their wedding photograph - and propped them around the bed. He took pills for the medicine box and put them by her bedside as well as two alcohol bottles. He messaged his daughter from his wife’s phone and gained access to his wife’s social media account, changing her relationship status to married and writing a fake status post from Kim saying that she had drunk too much.

He then callously called the emergency services saying he had found his wife when he went downstairs in the early hours and she was not breathing. He claimed they had had sex a couple of hours earlier after Kim had messaged him asking for sex.

According to the prosecution, the police who attended the home in the early morning hours swallowed his story and Thompson was left to clean up the murder scene. It was only after concerned friends and family rang the alarm bell that he was taken in by police for questioning and several weeks after his wife’s death he was charged with her rape and murder.

During the trial Thompson, who did not give evidence, attempted to smear the memory of his wife. In police evidence he called her a pathological liar and said she was obsessed with getting attention from other men. He said she had gaslit him and told friends untrue stories about what he did to her.

But he had been recording her in the years before her death, hiding hidden cameras around the home to spy on her.

Throughout the trial many friends and family of Kim’s had given evidence on the stand about the Thompson’s marriage and how former Michael Thompson had controlled and coerced his hardworking wife. They said she was happy and outgoing before she met him but soon became anxious and thin, losing her athletic figure.

Thompson, who was working in a warehouse at the time of his arrest, will be sentenced next week. He was found guilty of murder, rape and two counts of perverting the course of justice. The jury deliberated for 11 and a half hours before coming to its verdict.

Thompson will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court next week.

Detective Chief Inspector Torie Harrison, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, led the investigation into Kim’s murder.

She said today after the verdict:

“I hope today provides Kim’s family and friends with some comfort.
“It became clear throughout our investigation that Kim had been subjected to domestic abuse for much of her relationship with Thompson, with manipulation, coercive control, and physical violence the norm.
“Over the years Thompson stripped Kim’s confidence away but in the time since their separation, friends and family began to see the old Kim re-emerging with a renewed enthusiasm for life.”

In addition to being found guilty of the rape and murder of Kim, Thompson was also found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice, one for covering up the rape, the other for covering up her murder.

DCI Harrison added:

“Not only did Thompson brutally rape and murder Kim, he took the time to stage her death in order to make people believe she had committed suicide before calling for help.
“I have no doubt these actions caused further upset to Kim’s loved ones, who have shown an enormous amount of grace and dignity throughout our investigation and during the trial.”

DCI Harrison said:

“The level of abuse Kim was subjected to over the last two decades was horrific, and I want to take this opportunity to say to anyone who may be living a similar life that help is available.
“We have specialist police officers who work with survivors of domestic abuse, including coercive control and physical abuse, and there are other organisations that also offer support and practical help if you don’t want to speak to the police.
“My plea to anyone who finds themself in this situation is to please ask for help, no one will judge you, but we can help you take that first step to becoming safe.”

If you need our help, please ring 101 or in an emergency – 999. If you would prefer to report online, you can visit www.northants.police.uk/ro.

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713. Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.

If you have been a victim of a domestic abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.