An ambulance worker who messaged her friend ‘oopsie xx!’ after trying to kill her boss in an ‘unprovoked and frenzied’ hammer attack in a row over shifts has been jailed.
Stacey Smith, 46, waited outside the home of her manager Michala Morton before attacking her with a hammer in a murder attempt in November last year, Greater Manchester Police said.
Smith was today jailed for 20 years at Manchester Crown Court after she was found guilty of attempted murder last month.
She had been charged with attempted murder and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place, the force said.
Police described Smith as being “filled with rage after a prolonged row over work shift patterns”.
Smith arrived at the house in Dukinfield, Tameside, at around 5.30am on November 11 last year when she knew her manager would be getting ready to leave for work, officers said.
She then pounced on her victim and repeatedly hit her over the head with the weapon and “screamed” that she was “going to kill her”, they added.
The victim sustained serious head injuries and broke her wrist trying to defend herself, the force said.
Neighbours gave the victim first aid and covered the hammer Smith had left behind with a plastic bag to preserve forensic evidence.
After the attempted murder, Smith texted her friend “I’ve done it. I’ve smashed her head in. Oopsie xx!”, and added she would “go on the run” to Liverpool, the force said.
Smith instead handed herself into Ashton Police Station and was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
She told Tameside Criminal Investigation Department officers that she had worked with her manager since 2017 but their relationship had deteriorated since the Covid pandemic and the attack followed a row over shift patterns.
Smith was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with a further five years on licence at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday, and received a whole-life restraining order banning her from contacting the victim, GMP added.
Detective Constable Stephen McNee, from Tameside Criminal Investigation Department, said: “This was a particularly violent attack on the victim which left her with serious and life-changing injuries.
“Physically, injuries may heal but the mental trauma of the attack will stay with the victim for life.
“I’d like to thank her for her bravery in supporting us with our investigation.
“I’d also like to thank the local residents who came to the victim’s aid on the morning of the attack. They ensured initial first aid was given to the victim before emergency services arrived and also made sure that the hammer was covered in a plastic bag to maximise the forensic evidence we could take.
“We are pleased with today’s result, which has seen a violent woman taken off the streets, and we hope that this goes some way to helping the victim to come to terms with what has happened to her and allows her to heal.
“As a force, we are committed to locating, identifying and charging individuals who commit violent attacks such as this in Greater Manchester and we do everything in our power to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice.”
By Christian Oliver
