A 41-year-old man from Oldham has been jailed for life for stabbing his girlfriend to death and leaving her body in their flat for around three weeks.
Greater Manchester Police were called at around 12.15pm on 4 March this year to a report of concern for the welfare of a woman at a house on Ashton Road.
Emergency services attended and a woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
She was later identified as 29-year-old Imogen Bohajczuk.
Daniel Grant Smith (pictured), of Ashton Road, pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday (27 July).
He will serve a minimum of 17-and-a-half years in jail.
Miss Bohajczuk, who had a young son, shared a flat with Smith from June 2020.
In February this year, she reported to police that Smith had assaulted her and left marks on her neck and wrists. She also reported an assault from November 2020.
On 4 March 2021, a friend had become concerned about Miss Bohajczuk as she had not seen or heard from her since 15 February. She entered the flat and found her friend lifeless in bed with multiple stab wounds.
Imogen Bohajczuk
A post-mortem later confirmed that she had been stabbed three times and that any of them could have killed her. There were also strangulation marks around her neck.
After he had killed her, Smith had attempted to cover his tracks by making calls from Miss Bohajczuk's mobile phone and used her debit card, including to buy petrol, on several dates in February.
Smith became the prime suspect in the investigation and, when he was arrested at a friend's house on 5 March, he had the debit card in his possession.
Detective Inspector Andy Naismith, of GMP's Major Incident Team, said: "Firstly, our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends who have had to endure such a tragic and traumatic event.
"This was a brutal and cowardly attack on a defenceless woman and Smith has quite rightly been jailed for life.
"He gave no thought to the victim before, during or after the attack and attempted to cover his tracks by using the victim's phone and bank cards.
"He also left the victim at the address and it is believed before being discovered she had been dead for around three weeks - he did not admit the offence until the full weight of the evidence was put to him.
"The family are now left to pick up the pieces of their lives and to try and come to terms with the death of a daughter, sister and loving mother - nothing will ever bring them peace."
Spectacular event steams back into Saddleworth
'Needs improvement' school headed in 'right direction' says headteacher
132 new "future-proof" homes will be built in Derker, Oldham
Oldham: Taxi rank to close as âmajor worksâ take place in town centre
