Dempsey nibbs murdered & mutilated wife judith in cold blood

The Old Bailey courtroom fell silent as 69-year-old Dempsey Nibbs, a former crane operator, was sentenced to life in prison—with a minimum of 21 years—for the brutal murder and decapitation of his wife, Judith Nibbs.

The 60-year-old Meals on Wheels worker, described by her family as a “kind and caring” mother of five, met a horrifying end at the hands of her husband in their Hoxton flat in April 2014.

The couple’s marriage had crumbled under suspicion and rage. Nibbs, suffering from prostate cancer, had become consumed by jealousy, convinced his wife was having affairs.

On April 7, 2014, Judith confessed to past relationships with other men—igniting a fury that would end in unspeakable violence. The next day, she ominously told a coworker: “If I’m not in Friday, I might be dead.”

Tragically, she was right.

Three days later, Nibbs bludgeoned Judith unconscious with an iron bar, then beheaded her in a fit of rage. In a further act of depravity, he shattered her skull with a mallet and flushed fragments down the toilet.

After the killing, he left a note for their 30-year-old son, Kirk, and called police, coldly stating: “There will be two bodies at the property.”

When officers arrived, they peered through the letterbox—only to see Judith’s headless corpse. They stormed in, finding Nibbs in the bathroom, armed with a shotgun and knife, attempting to stab himself.

At trial, Nibbs offered a bizarre defense, claiming he thought Judith was “a snake”—though psychiatrists found no evidence of mental illness.

His own lawyer, Ian Henderson QC, admitted Nibbs would likely “die in prison” due to his declining health.

The judge, Nicholas Hilliard QC, delivered a scathing rebuke:
“I’m sure you don’t regret your wife’s death—save for its effect on your own comfort.”

Judith’s sister, Frances, spoke for the devastated family: “Whatever problems they had, Judith didn’t deserve this. She was loving, she was generous—and now she’s gone in the worst way imaginable.”

Her son Kirk, too traumatized to submit a victim statement, has been left broken by the trial.