Jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner to death jailed

Jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner to death then claimed he was innocent like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive is jailed for at least 20 years

• Franklin McLeod, 55, stabbed 53-year-old Marlene Coleman through the neck 
• He had seen voice-notes from another man and killed her in a fit of jealous anger
• Read more: Woman found dead in Lewisham house as man appears in court 

A jealous boyfriend who killed his partner and claimed he was wrongly accused of murder like Harrison Ford’s character in The Fugitive has been jailed for at least 20 years.

Franklin McLeod, 55, stabbed 53-year-old Marlene Coleman through the neck in a fit of jealous anger on June 16 last year in their shared flat in Lewisham, southeast London.

The pair were both born in Jamaica and had been in a relationship for over ten years.

Ms Coleman, one of the first female train dispatchers for Eurostar, allegedly had become unhappy in their relationship and wanted it to end but McLeod refused to leave.

The court heard that he pried into his partner’s WhatsApp messages on June 16 last year and came across voice-notes from a man called Kevin Williams.

Mr Williams lived in Jamaica and shared a close friendship with Ms Coleman.

53-year-old Marlene Coleman was stabbed through the neck by Franklin McLeod, 55, in June last year

McLeod, who has been jailed for at least 20 years, claimed he was wrongly accused of murder like Harrison Ford’s character in The Fugitive

He was helping her build a house in Jamaica and she would send him money for the project.

McLeod confronted his partner and stabbed her during the subsequent argument.

He did not call an ambulance but walked to a police station to report the incident, blaming a ‘mystery attacker’.

His barrister even likened him to Dr Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford in ‘The Fugitive’, who is wrongly accused of his wife’s murder.

McLeod, of Cressingham Road, Lewisham, denied the murder charge but was convicted by an Old Bailey jury last November.

Judge Angela Rafferty said: ‘On 17 June 2022 you murdered a very much loved woman who had been in a relationship with you for some time. You intended to kill her, I am quite sure from the evidence I have heard.

‘You left her to die on the floor where she bled to death. In the aftermath you did nothing to help her or comfort her. You went for a walk during which I’m sure you disposed of the knife.

‘You were unreasonable, unhelpful and watchful of her and she was seeking to escape from you. You lied to the jury at trial and gave no account of how you killed her.

‘I am sure that on reading those messages you became jealous. You became furious and this led to you killing your partner.

McLeod’s barrister even likened him to Dr Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford (pictured) in ‘The Fugitive’, who is wrongly accused of his wife’s murder

Ms Coleman, one of the first female train dispatchers for Eurostar, allegedly had become unhappy in their relationship and wanted it to end

‘The senselessness of her death will never be understood by her family.

‘This murder is most significantly aggravated by the fact you used a knife on an area targeted on Ms Coleman’s neck. She was murdered in her own home, a flat that had been a sanctuary for her for many years.

‘Ms Coleman was deeply unhappy. Although there is no evidence that you abused her, I am satisfied you tried to control her. She told at least one person you were controlling.’

Wearing a white polo shirt and jumper, he showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years before he can be considered for parole.

Prosecutor Gareth Patterson earlier told the court: ‘He said he came in from work and later Marlene came in having had her hair cut.

‘She went downstairs and he went upstairs to watch football.

‘While she was down in the kitchen he found her phone. It was not locked. He said he looked at it and opened WhatsApp.

‘He said he found voice notes and messages.

‘He tried to send to his phone what he had found. He said he wanted it “as proof”.

‘He thought she was going to come upstairs. He deleted what he had sent because he did not want her to know that he had sent it to his phone.

‘He later said he was ‘really disturbed’ and was ‘upset’ by what he had seen.’

McLeod went downstairs to ‘confront’ Ms Coleman about what he had found and an argument started.

‘He said the argument escalated,’ Mr Patterson said.

‘She was angry and he was angry. He denied stabbing or murdering her.

‘He said he put his hands on her. He said she was coming towards him.

‘He said: “My left arm… I went like that just to quieten her down, to calm her down.”

‘He accepted he may have touched her neck. He said she “fell on the ground”.

‘He said he had not used any force. He denied pushing her.’

McLeod went on to tell police that he left the house to ‘cool’ his head and insisted Ms Coleman was alive and conscious when he left.

The prosecutor continued: ‘He said she spoke to him before he left, saying, “Babes, I never knew you were like that”.

‘He replied, “Babes, I never knew you would, like, have me here, and speaking to someone else. In a million years I don’t know you like that”.

McLeod finished by telling police that he found Ms Coleman lying on her face in a pool of blood when he returned.

Asked what he knew about Mr Williams, McLeod said that he could be Ms Coleman’s builder or her ‘fiancé’.

‘By “fiancé” he said he meant someone she was seeing other than him,’ the prosecutor clarified.

McLeod told police they should look for another suspect.

Mr Patterson said the issue for the jury to decide was the identity of the attacker.

‘The prosecution case is that he [McLeod] was possessive of her and would not have wanted the relationship to end.

‘The prosecution case is that he was jealous and the discovery of those recordings coming from another man made him angry.

‘The prosecution say that the evidence will show that the person who stabbed Marlene Coleman that night near the back door in her flat through the neck was not some unidentified mystery attacker or intruder but this defendant, Franklin McLeod.’

Giving evidence during the trial, McLeod denied responsibility for his girlfriend’s death and continued to blame a ‘mystery attacker’.

Melanie Simpson, KC, defending, said earlier: ‘In The Fugitive (the character played by) Harrison Ford was accused of killing his wife.

‘He said to the policeman, Tommy Lee Jones: “I didn’t kill my wife.” And Tommy Lee Jones said: “I don’t care.”

‘Harrison Ford was locked up. But in the film he escapes from custody and his friends are seen by the police and his friends say to the police he is intelligent, he’s got resources, you will never catch him.

‘And Harrison Ford, he uses his resources and connections and his intelligence. And what does he do? He catches his wife’s real killer.

‘Of course this is real life, this isn’t Hollywood.

‘But Franklin McLeod has got no resources, he’s got no connections and limited intelligence you may think.

‘And so he walks into the police station to report a crime and ends up a suspect.’

In a statement written to court, Marlene’s sister, Pamela Campbell, who attended court via video link, said: ‘I love and miss her so much, my beautiful sister. She lives in my heart and memory.

‘The incident has left a huge void without her. I will never be the same again. I am so angry and this has made me trust no one. I have sleepless nights.

‘I sometimes call her phone even though I know she is not there anymore. She was taken away from me by the most cruel man I know.

‘Listening to the details of how my sister spent the last moments of her life are horrible. I have a constant deep pain in my heart that she may have suffered before she passed away.

‘McLeod is a ruthless, jealous person who showed no remorse. He has taken the coward’s way out and accused everyone of lying.

‘When my sister died, part of me also died. Life will never be the same again.’

Detective Sergeant Arran Barnes, said: ‘Franklin Mcleod was a controlling man who murdered Marlene in an act of rage and spite. People reported that Marlene would hang up the phone if Mcleod came into the room and he seemed to want all Marlene’s attention just on him.

‘Marlene appears to have had enough of his controlling behaviour and was making plans to leave Mcleod, but when he found this out, he murdered her. Although Mcleod admitted assaulting Marlene, he never admitted to murdering her. The jury has seen through his lies and he has been convicted.

‘The investigating team did outstanding work to secure this conviction. This included three deployments to Jamaica in order to trace and obtain crucial witness evidence.

‘These deployments were assisted by the CPS, British High Commission in Jamaica, the Jamaican Constabulary, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Jamaica and The National Crime Agency in the UK.

‘Witnesses gave evidence at the trial via a live link from the British High Commission in Jamaica. Enquiries to locate witnesses were undertaken in New York and Florida in the USA – this led to one witness flying to the UK to give evidence. This investigation shows the lengths and determination the Met will go to bring offenders to justice.

‘Unfortunately there are people like Franklin Mcleod who are a risk to those they are in a relationship with. Many people close to them may see the signs, but may not want to interfere or do not know who to speak to. 

‘If you can see that someone is in a controlling and coercive relationship then please let someone know. You can call the police or Crimestoppers, who are totally anonymous, or speak to one of the many charities that support victims of domestic abuse.’

McLeod, of Cressingham Road, Lewisham, denied murder but was convicted.

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