This is a case I have been considering writing about for some time now, but I have always been a little reluctant due to the sheer brutality shown towards the victim. However, the bastard who inflicted unimaginable pain on a young girl, James Patterson Smith, recently had his parole tuned down (good), so it seemed like time to talk about the murder of Kelly Anne Bates. Please be warned about the horrors that this crime involves – if you’re sensitive, I recommend you stop reading here.
Kelly was born on 18th May 1978 in Manchester, England. She met James Patterson Smith by chance when she babysat his friends' children in 1993, and he immediately started grooming her (she was 14 years old). Kelly was described as mature for her age and didn’t think too much of the age gap, although she was concerned enough to lie to her parents, Tommy and Margaret, telling them that her ‘boyfriend’ was the same age as her. She would stop at his house on the weekends and eventually moved in with Smith when she was just 16 years old. Margaret recalled her first meeting with Smith and the realisation that Kelly had lied about his age: ‘As soon as I saw Smith, the hairs on the back of my neck went up. I tried everything I could to get Kelly Anne away from him’.
They had every reason to be wary of this man.
Smith was an unemployed divorcee, and his marriage ended in 1980 after ten years. He had been consistently violent towards his wife before she left. After this, he began a relationship with 20-year-old Tina Watson; Smith was also abusive towards Tina, even while she was pregnant with their child. She said, ‘At first, it was now and again, just a little tap. But in the end, it was every day. He would smack me in the face or hit me over the head with an ashtray.’ Smith also tried to drown her in the bath before she managed to escape in 1982.
Smith soon moved in on Wendy Mottershead, who was just 15 years old. Wendy was also abused badly by Smith, and he tried to drown her in the sink, holding her head underwater. Wendy said, ‘It frightened me. But you got to the point where you’re too frightened to do anything or say anything.’
It’s easy to judge Tommy and Margaret here, but situations aren’t always straightforward. They didn’t want to isolate their daughter, as Margaret said, 'I didn't know what to do. She was very strong-minded, and she wouldn't listen to me. And I was worried that if I fell out with her, it would just push them closer together.’ They did go to the police and social services, but because Kelly was 16 years old, nothing was done.
Kelly became trapped by her groomer. She would turn up at her parent's house covered in bruises that she blamed on accidents, and she was quickly becoming a shadow of her former self. By March 1996, Tommy and Margaret weren’t seeing their daughter; they would receive cards on anniversaries and birthdays, but Smith had written them.
It was the 16th of April 1996 when authorities received a phone call from Smith; he claimed his girlfriend had died in the bath by accident during an argument. Police arrived at the house, and it was soon apparent that this wasn’t an accidental death. The house was covered with blood, and when they discovered Kelly’s naked body, the damage was indescribable. During her post-mortem, over 150 different injuries were found on her, with pathologist William Lawler saying, ‘In my career, I have examined over 600 victims, but I have never come across injuries so extensive’.
The following paragraph will describe her injuries, so please feel free to skip it.
Her injuries included:
Scalding to her buttocks and legs
Burns from an iron on her legs
Fractured arm
Multiple stab wounds, including her mouth
Crushed hands
Mutilation of her facial features and genitalia
Partial scalping
If that wasn’t bad enough, he had removed her eyes with his own hands and even stabbed the empty sockets. This was believed to have happened up to 3 weeks before her death. Peter Openshaw, the prosecutor, said, ‘It was as if he deliberately disfigured her, causing the utmost pain, distress and degradation’.
Smith had the audacity to deny murdering Kelly, even going as far as to say she ‘had a bad habit of hurting herself to make it look worse on me’. He even told police that his reason for torturing, stabbing, and blinding Kelly was…because she had dared him to do it. The man was utterly delusional about the whole thing.
It only took the jury one hour to find 48-year-old James Patterson Smith guilty of the
murder of 17-year-old Kelly Anne Bates. Judge Mr Justice Sachs said, ‘This has been a terrible case, a catalogue of depravity by one human being upon another. You are a highly dangerous person. You are an abuser of women, and I intend, so far as it is in my power, that you will abuse no more.’
The jury was so traumatised by the details of the case that they were offered professional counselling. Every single one of them accepted.
It’s unbearable to think about what Kelly Anne Bates went through in her last few months. This monster had escaped justice for years, allowing him to continue his vile abuse of a succession of young victims. I hope he rots in his cell. It does highlight the need for more awareness and support around domestic abuse; if you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 24/7 service: 0808 2000 247. Thanks for reading; take care of yourselves, and I will see you next time.
Hi! I spend a lot of time writing for the website, and I basically exist on caffeine and anxiety - if anybody would like to encourage this habit, please feel free to buy me a coffee!
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