Horrific Confession: Man on Trial for Pregnant Girlfriend's Murder Over Abortion News

A murder trial at Manchester Crown Court has heard how Stephan Garner, 31, admitted killing his pregnant girlfriend, 33-year-old Amber O’Brien, but denies the charge of murder. Garner claims he ‘snapped’ after Ms O’Brien, who was expecting twins, told him she had undergone an abortion. The incident occurred in Garner’s flat in Blackley, north Manchester, in the early hours of April 18, following an argument between the couple.

Ms O’Brien’s body was discovered naked and ‘cold to the touch’ on the bathroom floor of the eighth-floor flat, covered in a blue tarpaulin and lying in ‘pools of water’. She was nine weeks pregnant with Garner’s twins. A pathologist later determined that Ms O’Brien had sustained more than 60 separate stab, incised, and puncture wounds, with 32 of these inflicted upon her face and neck during the attack.

During his second day in the witness box, Garner described his tumultuous relationship with Ms O’Brien, stating, “It just felt like it was sometimes impossible to resolve trivial issues. When arguments did occur she wouldn’t move past it, she would continue.” Despite this, he claimed, “I loved her. I cared about her. I was sad about the way things were going. I wanted it to work.” Jurors had previously heard a recording of a call Ms O’Brien made on April 15, requesting a termination of her pregnancy. Garner, however, asserted that he was unaware of any such plans, claiming Ms O’Brien told him she was attending the hospital for a ‘kidney check’, not in relation to her pregnancy. He expressed feeling “betrayed by the fact she lied to me about the reason she was going,” and stated he “wanted to be present during that scan.”

The evening preceding the killing, April 17, saw Garner attending a pub in Swinton with a friend, where they consumed alcohol and cocaine. Garner dropped Ms O’Brien at her mother’s home before going to the pub. Later, he picked her up, and they returned to his flat at Somerton Court in Blackley with his friend. An argument quickly erupted, with Ms O’Brien accusing Garner of cheating. Garner claimed she dragged him out of a chair, became increasingly “irate,” and was “going mad.” He denied being violent but admitted he “wasn’t perfectly calm.” He further alleged that Ms O’Brien threatened to have another man ‘sort me out’, ‘batter me’, and ‘kill me’, causing him to feel ‘scared’, ‘worried’, and ‘intimidated’.

Garner told the court he tried to diffuse the situation by telling Ms O’Brien to go to her mother’s house, which she did, packing a couple of bags. However, Garner then followed her in his car, calling her to say he loved her and didn’t want her to wake her family. Jurors heard Ms O’Brien respond, “we’re done Stephan.” Garner claimed he ‘reasoned with her’, and she voluntarily got into his vehicle to return to the flat, though the mood in the car was “awkward” and both were “angry with each other.”

Back at the flat, Garner said he tried to encourage Ms O’Brien to socialize with him and his friend in the kitchen, but she refused, saying, “I don’t want to speak to you.” He claimed Ms O’Brien then threw a glass of water at him, hitting him on the thigh. The friend, feeling uncomfortable with the confrontation, subsequently left. Garner recalled feeling “pi**** off” and “embarrassed” by Ms O’Brien’s behaviour. The argument continued, with Garner claiming Ms O’Brien accused him of flirting with her mum and then slapped him. When he attempted to leave again, he alleged she threatened to call the police on him for drink driving.

Garner returned to the flat around 6:20 am, where he claimed Ms O’Brien remained “argumentative, violent and aggressive.” At this point, he stated, “I’d had enough.” He attempted to leave, but Ms O’Brien blocked his path. He then felt what he believed to be a ‘punch’ to the back of his head from Ms O’Brien, turned around, pushed her, and she fell into the spare bedroom. As she got up, Garner claimed she was holding a knife, which he said was part of renovation work in the bedroom.

It was at this critical moment, Garner testified, that Ms O’Brien said, “I just recall her saying that she aborted both of my children that morning, because she didn’t want to have children with a cheater.” Garner described his reaction as “upset” and “devastated,” but also “angry.” He claimed Ms O’Brien then ‘sliced’ his hand with the knife and ‘lunged’ at him. He put both hands in to “intercept the knife,” resulting in Ms O’Brien falling backward with him on top of her. He stated, “The knife has obviously made contact,” believing it was in her neck, though he was not “100 per cent sure.” During a struggle for the knife, Garner claimed both put their hands on the sharp end, and he pushed down, stabbing her, after which the knife broke.

Garner further claimed Ms O’Brien then grabbed a second knife. He tried to ‘intercept’ it, and during another struggle, he got hold of the knife and stabbed her. When asked how many times, Garner replied, “I don’t know, I can’t remember,” adding, “Of course not, no,” when asked if he was counting. He concluded, “I lost control of the situation,” and stopped stabbing her when it became clear she was dead, as “She just stopped moving.”

Explaining why he ‘lost control’, Garner cited “The constant abuse throughout the relationship, whether it was verbal or physical,” her telling him she had aborted his children, and “Her slashing me and trying to stab me with a knife.” He stated, “I snapped because of all this stuff that has happened. When you look at all these factors as a whole that’s how it has made me respond.” Garner expressed feeling “mortified” and “upset” afterward. He did not call the police because he was “scared,” believing they “wouldn’t believe what had happened.” He then moved Ms O’Brien’s body to the bath, “I guess because there was blood on the floor,” and destroyed his mobile phone by throwing it in a lake, fearing arrest. Garner has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder; the trial continues.