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A man who beat his girlfriend to death on Christmas Day while she was watching TV has been found guilty of manslaughter. Yahya Aboukar, 27, was in a relationship with Kirsty Louise Ashley, 29, when he “violently” attacked her on Christmas Day 2021 as they watched TV in bed. Shortly before midnight on Boxing Day, police were then called to the address in Earlham Grove, Newham. Inside the property, officers found signs of a struggle in Aboukar’s bedroom, including a barbell, a claw hammer and blood-stained clothing. Aboukar had fled from the police by jumping from a bedroom window. He was eventually caught and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH). Officers found Ms Ashley’s body in a black bag in the garden, leading to the further arrest of Aboukar on suspicion of murder. CCTV searches by homicide officers later showed Aboukar dragging Ms Ashley’s body across the garden. The injuries were mainly to the face and head, causing fractures and bleeding. The injuries to her hand indicated that she had tried to shield herself from the blows. A neurologist concluded that he had been hit repeatedly in the face with a very heavy object, such as a barbell or claw hammer. He believed he would not have survived more than 30 minutes after the attack. Kirsty Louise Ashley has known Aboukar since 2020 (Metropolitan Police) A post-mortem examination was carried out on December 27 at East Ham Mortuary and concluded that Ms Ashley had been beaten to death. Ms Ashley and Aboukar had known each other since 2020 and were in “a number of relationships”, the Metropolitan Police said. During the trial, Aboukar’s defense was that he “lost control” and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. In his police interview, Aboukar claimed he and Ms Ashley had spent Christmas Day watching TV in bed, but they started arguing. He claimed Ms Ashley had become violent so he had hit her twice. She claimed she hit her head on the bar as she fell. At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, the jury found him not guilty of murder but convicted him of manslaughter. He will be sentenced next Friday. Detective Inspector Francis Copley of the Met’s Special Crime Squad said: ‘Kirsty Ashley weighed just 8lb 2lbs. she was no match for Abukar and could not defend herself against him.” Mr Copley added: ‘Aboukar’s attack on Kirsty was incredibly brutal. There can be no justification for this level of violence and it is only right that he will now pay for his actions with his freedom. “My thoughts are very much with Kirsty’s family today.”
