In terms of horrific toxic relationships, I have written about a few of them on this blog, one case which I still receive messages about to this day, is the shocking story of master manipulator and cruel murderer Tracie Andrews whom, after months of harassment and stalking, had murdered her partner Lee in the early 1990's and set it all up to look like a road rage attack, giving false support to his family before the truth came to light. This particular case that I'm focusing on in this blog is a recent one and it is both disturbing and heartbreaking to realise that the victim in this case was alive at this very time last year. When it comes to narcissistic abuse in a relationship it can be traumatic on a physical and psychological level and as I have previously stated many times on this blog over the years, it's not just women who fall victim to this type of traumatic experience and abusive relationship, men go through it too.
In the past there was a lot of negative and close-minded attitudes towards men who were victims of domestic abuse because for some strange reason some people once believed that men could not be victims. As we've seen that is not the case, we've had numerous horrible examples of the abuse that men have also faced at the hands of a partner. We've seen cases where these men have been abused physically, mentally and had their lives taken.
This case of extreme narcissistic abuse which I'm talking about in this post came to the ultimate head in horrific fashion in the early hours of Christmas morning last year (2024). But to get the full picture I have to share a bit about the background of this complex situation. So, Kirsty Carless (who also went by the name of Kirsty Cribb) got together with Louis Price back in 2021 and at first it was a lot like these typical beginnings of controlling relationships where at first it's all roses, constant sex, passion and couldn't keep away from each other and text messages back and forth. They were both clearly presenting an image of each other to one another that was palatable and displaying the highlights of each other's personalities which one would expect in the early stages.
However, both of them came to the relationship with quite a bit of baggage and history. Although both were young (Louis was a couple of years younger than Kirsty) They both had kids from previous relationships who did not live with them, Kirsty had been married in the past and they both had dabbled with substance misuse. Louis was known as being a happy go lucky type lad who enjoyed fishing and football. He was close to his parents and family and would often go away with them for breaks. Kirsty had a bit of a reputation for flying off the handle when she was married and also living beyond her means. Both of them were stubborn and liked their own way but as time went on the passion and the so-called honeymoon period was starting to wear off. There had been infidelities on both parts and by all accounts the relationship had run it's course but the pair had become stuck in this cycle of arguments - break-up - sex and this would continue. People around them who knew them well were fed up with it and it was no unusual sight to see them shouting at each other in the street. So from 2021 to 2024 they had this constant back and forth where things would be great between them and then it would turn sour but there was a element of the physical and psychological abuse that they would get off on and both were just as bad as each other. It was clear that they were not good for each other but they just couldn't stay away from each other either.
Both Kirsty and Louis would have periods of time when they were together and then they would see other people but would still sleep together so the confusion was real to anyone who was close to them and the fact that they both had kids too. A lot went on considering they had only been together for a few years and at one point Louis lived with Kirsty which proved to be difficult for both of them. Instead of living together cementing their relationship all it did was make things worse because the arguments just intensified and Kirsty was becoming more and more controlling. They both liked to go out partying, they both liked to drink and they both liked attention from the opposite sex but still wanted each other to remain faithful and devoted to each other, in other words, I can go out and get drunk, sleep with someone else but you have to stay at home, remain devoted to me and never look at anyone else or talk to anyone else. This was Kirsty's line of thinking, she wanted everything her way and she was probably the worst out of the pair of them for the cheating.
Fast forward to 2024 and this back and forth carry-on of who's cheating on who this time and who's texting who with constant conflict between the pair of them was turning into violent altercations. Louis wasn't physically abusive to Kirsty he was able to keep his cool but Kirsty began to physically assault Louis and it was becoming a regular thing. After a huge argument Kirsty had grabbed Louis and tried to strangle him, she also poured bleach onto his clothes. The police were informed of this and Kirsty was arrested and put on bail with conditions that she stay away from Louis.
It was clear that they couldn't live together anymore and they'd been seeing other people on the down low so they tried to break-up (or their version of breaking up). A woman that Louis had previously been seeing had just given birth to a little baby girl which now made him the father of six children he was also reportedly seeing someone. Kirsty was going out with friends, partying and having one-night stands but was still obsessed with what was happening in Louis's life. When he moved out of her house he moved back in with his parents but Kirsty had a copy of his parent's house key which Louis didn't know about.
On the night of Christmas Eve, Louis was alone in his parents house as they were having a holiday in the Maldives. Kirsty was out partying, getting drunk and taking cocaine. She met a guy and spent some time with him before going back to his house where they had sex, reportedly three times. At some point during the night a friend of Kirsty's sent her a message with a screenshot. Apparently Louis had created a Tinder profile (Tinder is an online dating site) and Kirsty went crazy with jealousy despite the fact that she'd just been sleeping with a random guy she met in a bar.
Her sick obsession with controlling Louis was in overdrive and she called him a total of 45 times in the space of 30 minutes. She proceeded to bombard him with text messages telling him to answer her and that she hated him and wanted him dead. When she was back at her house she went onto her computer to get a closer look at Louis's dating profile and the anger insider her just brewed and brewed. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and called a taxi.
When she got into the taxi she called her mother and didn't say anything about what she was going to do or anything about Louis, but she did say that whatever happened that night, she wanted her mother to know that she loved her. Kirsty told the taxi driver to take her to Louis's parent's house which was located in the quiet Staffordshire village of Norton Canes. By now it was the early hours of Christmas morning and when the taxi pulled up outside she told the driver that she would only be a few minutes and to wait for her.
Kirsty then got into the house and went upstairs towards the spare room looking for Louis. When she found the spare room empty she walked back down stairs to which she startled Louis. Without any words being said and no doubt Louis being in total fear and shock, Kirsty (33) chased 31 year old Louis with the 12 inch knife before finally catching up with him and plunging it into his chest. The blade horrifically penetrated his rib, lung and heart killing him almost instantly. She placed the blade on the kitchen counter and casually walked out to the taxi, it all happened so fast, literally within minutes and the driver of the cab had not seen or heard a thing.
Louis had no time to defend himself from her, she literally came down the stairs and saw him, attacking him with the knife instantly. Louis was eventually found in the conservatory of his parent's house and he was pronounced deceased at 3:46 am on Christmas morning by paramedics. His poor parents were contacted and rushed back to the UK as soon as they could. Kirsty Carless was promptly arrested and tried to plead ignorant but the police knew she was guilty and she was well known to them for her abusive behaviour previously. Louis was considered to be at high risk from Kirsty but for some reason no proper protection was put in place which has always bothered me about bail conditions and restraining orders, it's just pieces of paper. Kirsty should have been tagged and it may or may not have made a difference but if there was some way to alert the police that she was travelling to that location and also an alert to Louis himself then maybe the terrible circumstances that this horrific story escalated to may not have gotten that far. It was obvious that Kirsty was an unstable woman, they saw her unfit to look after her own children and knew she was a ticking time bomb but sadly not enough was done here to protect others.
Kirsty's mugshot was a site to behold, looking like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards and love bites on display on her neck. She also had a very disturbing, calm, almost serene look about her. This was an individual who had just taken a man's life very up-close and personal with a 12 inch knife. There was no sign of tears, guilt, remorse or fear at all.
The community in which Louis and his family lived were shocked and upset at the news of what had happened especially at a time of year when people were celebrating Christmas. Louis's parents were known to be very hardworking and polite people. Louis was described as having a big heart and time for everybody. People said that despite his personal struggles he always had a smile for other people and loved his children, especially his baby daughter who couldn't stop talking about.
Kirsty Carless was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Louis price and sentenced to 25 years in prison at Stafford Crown Court on the 31st of July 2025 so at the time of me writing this post, that was just weeks ago. If Kirsty serves her full term and doesn't die behind bars she will be in her late 50's when she is released.
This story is one that is so tragic and confusing in so many ways because here you have two people who have an addiction to each other but it's a very, very toxic addiction. I think that Louis was beginning to break free of it all and the final straw may have been when she strangled him. In the past he would let things slide but this time he had gotten the police involved. He'd had enough and she knew it. Whatever the situation with the pair of them being as bad as each other at times, it's clear that Louis, for the most part, was terrified of Kirsty and was tangled up in this abusive relationship where he suffered greatly and ended up losing his life. She murdered him because she knew she no longer had control over him. He no longer gave into her, got the police involved and ignored her calls that terrible night. She saw him as a possession and although she felt the right to live her life as she pleased she was not going to allow him to live his and again it comes back to that terrible phrase we so often hear repeated but it is the truth.....If she couldn't have him, nobody could.
RIP Louis, your life was cut short way too soon. My heart goes out to you, your parents, children and family. May you rest in peace.
I will include some support and advice websites and helplines for men and women below.
Helpful Websites & Support:
- Domestic Abuse Support | IDAS Website
- DA Support For Men | Mankind
Further Reading & Sources:
- Kirsty Carless | Staffordshire Police
- Kirsty Carless: Article | Sky News
- Kirsty Carless: Article | Mirror
- Kirsty Carless | Article | BBC News
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my latest post, I know it was another difficult one to get through but I appreciate you taking the time and all of your support. I hope you will join me again next time (I post every Sunday evening) here on my blog and in the meantime, elsewhere on my Social Media Platforms. If you would like to keep updated when my posts are available or would like to buy me a coffee to help support my work, check out my Buy Me A Coffee page.
Until next time, please keep safe x
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