A woman is thought to have been stabbed to death by a man who became “obsessed” with her despite her raising concerns with the police, an inquest jury heard.
Gracie Spinks died aged 23 on 18 June 2021 from 10 stab wounds believed to have been inflicted by Michael Sellers, six months after she had refused to pursue a romantic relationship with him.
The body of Sellers, 35, her former supervisor at a warehouse where she had a temporary job, was found in a nearby field a few hours later.
He had left a note saying he “could not deal with all of her lies”, which a coroner said was one of “various pieces of evidence” that Sellers had killed Ms Spinks and then taken his own life.
Months before her death, Ms Spinks had reported Sellers to their employer and the police for stalking after he became infatuated with her and turned up at Blue Lodge Farm stables in Derbyshire, where the keen rider kept her horse.
Officers had given Sellers “words of advice” following this.
But they took no action when a bag of weapons was found near the stables by a member of the public, which included a note saying “do not lie”, just over a month before Ms Spinks’ death.
Following the deaths, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated five Derbyshire Police officers for misconduct.
Resuming an inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court, Matthew Kewley, assistant coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, said: “Gracie left home early to go and see her horse in the field.
“Just after 8am, a number of other people arrived at the field and Gracie was found lying on the ground and a man was seen running away.
“It was initially thought she may have been attacked by a horse.”
Mr Kewley said emergency services were called to the scene and were unable to save Ms Spinks. A knife was found near where she was discovered.
“Soon a possible link was made with Michael Sellers. At around 11am, Michael Sellers was also found and he was deceased.
“It appeared that Michael Sellers had taken his own life and a suicide note was recovered.”
Read more:
Gracie Spinks was ‘let down’ by police
Parents of critically ill baby lose legal fight to keep her on life-support
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Sajad Chaudhury, representing Ms Spinks’ family, said: “Gracie was snatched away from us by a coward who was unwilling to face the consequences of unthinking actions.
“We cannot hold him to account. We have had no closure.
“The inquest will enable the nation to hear the distressing facts as to how and in what circumstances Gracie was killed, the events leading up to Gracie’s death, and her interaction with the police in reporting her stalker.”
The inquest continues.
