Domestic abuse murderer sentenced to life imprisonment

A man who murdered his partner in the Caerphilly area has been sentenced to life imprisonment at Newport Crown Court.

Carl Silcox, 45, contacted the emergency services in the early hours of 18 October 2020 saying, “I just woke up and my missus is dead.”

He initially told the police that Adelle Cowan had been assaulted by a group of youths after she tried to retrieve Silcox’s phone from them which they had stolen.  He claimed she had returned to the property in Mornington Meadows and went to bed and he later found her dead.

Silcox changed his account to the police several times and having heard all the evidence the jury convicted him of murder.

Adelle Cowan was found to have bruising and swelling to her face, head and neck along with 13 rib fractures and internal injuries.

Deena Beynon of the CPS said: “The victim suffered extensive injuries which Silcox could offer no explanation for, despite having her blood on his clothing described as “airborne blood”.

“The CPS presented this strong evidence to the jury resulting in his conviction.

“We take domestic abuse extremely seriously and will prosecute cases whenever our legal test is met.

“Our thoughts remain with Adelle’s family and friends over their sad loss.”

Silcox was sentenced on 7 July 2023 to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years.