One of Zoe Crowther’s children said that her life was ‘overshadowed by a dark cloud of grief’
Zoe Crowther was killed in January this year (Image: Lancashire Police)
A woman killed her friend then remained in the property with her body for 11 days. Police were called to a ground floor property in Church, Lancashire, at 12.25pm on January 14 after neighbours reported a concerning smell coming from the flat.
When the door was not answered, a police officer climbed through an open kitchen window, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Once inside the property the officer saw Janet Connor. When they walked into the living room, they found Zoe Crowther’s body, the court heard. Connor then made an immediate and unprompted admission, saying: “I need to tell you summat… I’ve done something bad…I’ve killed her.”
In the 15 minutes that followed, the court heard that Connor said that Zoe’s body had been in the flat for a week, and she was glad that the police were there. Connor made further admissions during her police interview. Zoe died as a result of a stab wound to the neck, a Home Office post mortem examination found.
But the pathologist had found multiple stab wounds to the head and neck.
Enquiries discovered that Connor had committed the offence 11 days earlier on January 3 and that she had continued to live in the flat while Zoe’s body remained there.
Zoe had been in contact with the police earlier in the day and an officer attended the property. Lancashire Police has referred itself to the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) in relation to that contact, with their investigation ongoing.
Zoe also called a friend on two separate occasions. On the first occasion Zoe said Connor was hitting her and that they were arguing about a television.
Zoe called the same woman again 11 minutes later at 11.17pm and she said she could hear a scuffle and Zoe asking for help. Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Connor, 54, of Walmsley Close, Church, was charged with Zoe’s murder.
But she later pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. She was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order. Zoe Crowther’s children wrote emotional victim impact statements, which were read in court.
“When I found out about mum, it was like a daydream, it wasn’t real,” Zoe’s son Glen wrote. “I initially tried to carry on as normal, however soon realised that nothing would be normal again.
“I have worked as a bricklayer all my life since I was 18, I had a job that provided financially for my family. I returned to work thinking I would be fine, however that was not the case. I had lost myself not knowing how to cope with daily life and had to stop working.
“I have lost weight with the constant worry and overthinking on how I can no longer provide for my family the emotional and financial support I always had.
“I try not to think what happened to mum, however my mind wanders back to the same thoughts, it is relentless, so sleeping is the way I deal with blocking these thoughts and images out.”
Zoe’s daughter Gabby wrote: “My whole life changed in January 2025 being told my mum had been taken away from us by Janet Connor in the most traumatic way.
“Since this day I feel like a stranger in my own body, nothing feels the same, something is missing and now always will. Not only did Janet Connor take away my mum’s life, she took a piece of me too. How can someone I have never met before make me feel this way and change my life forever?
“I can no longer sleep properly. I find myself in long gazes just lost in grief and sadness disconnected to daily life whilst the world passes by. I keep seeing my mum’s face and hear her voice. I feel guilty that I could have done more to help her. The things I love in life just don’t seem as important, my outlook now distorted, overshadowed by a dark cloud of grief.”
Zoe’s daughter Summer wrote: “I have no words that can describe how I feel. Mum was not a perfect person by any means, however her being taken away from us in the manner she has, has broken my heart.
“I have been robbed of the chance to ever have a future and meaningful relationship with her. She was taken away from us in the most brutal manner, and I have had nightmares about how scared she would have been and how alone she must have felt in those moments.
“The day we were told mum had had her life taken away, I didn’t realise what emotions were coming to hit me full force. I am still in shock; the nightmares persist seeing my family broken, I relive the moments of being told mum’s life had been taken. I cannot sleep without the aid of sleeping medication.”
DCI Andy Fallows from Lancashire Police’s force major investigation team said: “Today marks the end of our investigation into what was the horrific killing of a mother-of-three. My thoughts are with Zoe’s family, particularly her children, who have understandably been profoundly impacted by untimely and brutal ending of their mother’s life.”
