My dad was stabbed in heart by new wife weeks after wedding…now she’s painting herself as victim in sick bid for freedom

PHOTOS from her wedding day show Sharon Edwards beaming in a white dress during a glitzy ceremony in Las Vegas – in contrast her husband David was sporting a fresh black eye. Solicitor David told concerned family and friends he’d accidentally hit himself in the face with the bedside phone in his hotel room – but weeks later he was found stabbed through the heart and his new wife was jailed for murder. Now, while wallowing in prison, she’s still spinning lies in a bid for freedom. David and Sharon Edwards on their wedding day Credit: WARREN SMITH Sharon was jailed for a minimum of 20 years after being convicted of murder Credit: PA:Press Association David’s youngest daughter Mahalia, from a previous relationship, was just about to turn seven when the dad-of-four was reported dead at lunchtime on August 23, 2015 at home in Chorley, Lancashire. Now 18, she has memories of David being physically and verbally abused by her stepmum, including on one occasion when she punched him so hard his glasses snapped in half. And Mahalia has a collection of photos of her dad with various injuries, including with his arm in a sling, all taken during the couple of years he was with Sharon. There’s also police bodycam from hours before David was murdered – used in TV broadcasts about the case – in which the dishevelled dad, seen with blood pouring from his head, is called an “idiot” by his new wife. Tragically, he told the officer at the scene he’d fallen so Sharon was not arrested – allowing her to murder him hours later. Much to Mahalia’s disgust, she was recently made aware of a page on campaign group Justice For Women last month which paints Sharon as the victim amid numerous appeals to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). On her being jailed for a minimum of 20 years on March 8 2016, the group writes: “The prosecution and media portrayed her as a violent, bullying wife. “But behind the headlines lies a more complex and troubling story – one of trauma, coercion, and a woman failed by the justice system.” Using beaming photos of Sharon from the wedding day, it goes on to claim she had previously reported David to police for coercive control, describing him as a “bully” – though there is no publicly available evidence of this. It claims Sharon had told David she was leaving him, which resulted in an argument before his death, and that in fact he had gone to the kitchen and held a knife to his throat while taunting her, and she does not recall stabbing him. Mahalia’s brother first spotted the Justice For Women page and told the family about it in July. She told The Sun: “I was absolutely furious when I first saw it. “It’s wrong on so many levels… she’s had the audacity to still use my dad’s last name and their wedding photos. “They show her looking all nice and done up but don’t show my dad with his black eye.” In a Facebook post, Mahalia said: “Are you f***ing take the p***? How dare this evil dirty scumbag cry domestic violence.” Mahalia went on to tell The Sun she had since emailed the campaign group to clarify what background checks had been done and what evidence had been seen, and if they can remove the page. Mahalia and her one-year-old daughter Isabella Credit: Mahalia Edwards David with Mahalia as a baby Credit: Mahalia Edwards Police bodycam footage captured a row between Sharon and David hours before he died Credit: Facebook Sharon can be heard mumbling ‘idiot’ at the end of the row Credit: Facebook But she says she hasn’t had a response. “I have no words for it,” she said. She praised organisations like Justice For Women in supporting victims of miscarriage of justice, but added in this case: “I feel like they just need to check the facts and the evidence before they put them up online.” Sharon has already had at least one application to the CCRC rejected in 2018, according to Women For Justice – before launching another. In response to the page, Mahalia has been sharing photos and footage of what she claims is evidence against Sharon on Facebook. This includes coverage by ITV News at the time of her conviction in which police bodycam is used from hours before David’s death, as well as CCTV from a nearby shop the same night in which other customers had to step in to stop Sharon’s aggressive behaviour towards her husband. The bodycam was recorded by a female police officer who came across David and Sharon arguing in the street. The officer can be heard saying to Sharon: “What’s going on? I’ve just come round that roundabout and seen you ragging him around.” Sharon – stood with David up against the wall – laughs and says “We’re drunk”. CCTV in a local off-licence saw customers forced to step in as Sharon became aggressive The couple had married in Las Vegas Credit: PA:Press Association She’s told to get into the police car in a bid to separate them, to which Sharon responds “I don’t think so” and the officer tells her: “I do. I’m not asking.” David, in a timid voice, tells his new wife to listen to the police, to which she angrily responds: “Oh David, seriously?” As she marches down the street she turns back and jibes: “Solicitor or no solicitor…” but is cut off as the officer tries to accost her. Sharon screams: “Don’t you touch me!” However, David, who can be seen bleeding from the head, claimed his injuries were the result of a fall and Sharon was not arrested. As the bodycam concludes, David, seen smoking a cigarette, is told by his wife to breathe before she mumbles “idiot” and he shuffles after her. The following afternoon, Sharon went on to stab David in the heart. He was found by emergency crews lying on the couple’s bed, the trial heard. The tragic dad had recently lost his high-paying job as a solicitor. The court heard this was, in part, due to him often arriving dishevelled and sometimes smelling of alcohol and displaying injuries. When he died, David had approximately 60 external injuries. David was often sporting injuries – seen here with a sling Credit: Mahalia Edwards David has a visible black eye weeks before he died Credit: Mahalia Edwards DCI Dean Holden said: “Sharon, I think, took this quite badly and I think the perception is that Sharon quite liked being the solicitor’s wife.” He added “bit by bit she chipped away and almost dismantled” David’s life. “What was left then was a man without his job, mounting debts, a house that should have been nice but looking somewhat dishevelled and physically David was a different man,” he said. Sharon’s trial heard she first met David in 2000 when she was giving evidence in court against a previous husband, who she alleged had assaulted her. David was representing her ex – the pair did not, however, begin a relationship until 2014 after connecting on Facebook. Mahalia, now a mum-of-one to daughter Isabella, was too young to understand exactly what had happened when her dad died. She said: “I remember the day that I got told he’d died, I just kept asking my mum, ‘could we go and see him?’ “Obviously, I didn’t know what death meant. I thought he was asleep in the hospital, so I kept asking my mum, ‘Could we go see him?’ Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. “And she just said, ‘We can’t, he’s in Heaven now. He’s never coming back.’ “I was just really confused at the time. I didn’t know what was going on. And then loads of my family members came round looking really sad.” Mahalia went to the funeral, and can remember the coffin and David’s loved ones crying over it. She admits, despite the violence she witnessed, she had been close to Sharon as a child, seeing her and David on weekends. Justice For Women is supporting Sharon’s appeal against her conviction Credit: JUSTICE FOR WOMEN David’s black eye can be seen during the wedding ceremony Credit: WARREN SMITH “Sharon seemed to like me – although I think she wanted to replace my mum,” Mahalia says. Then she began reading up on the case, and what Sharon had done. “As I got older I started to hate her more,” said Mahalia. “I don’t really think I ever got time to understand what grief was and what I was going through because I was so young.” She added: “I did expect something like this to happen though because that’s the type of person she is. She’s doing it all to get out of jail.” As well as learning about the horrors of his murder, Mahalia has also been told about what her dad was like by her family. “I’ve just heard loads and loads of stories and he seems to have been a very funny man,” she said. “Obviously, he did make some mistakes in his life.” Her memories of him are marred by the flashes of abuse against David she recalls, but she cherishes one recollection during a family holiday prior to her mum and dad separating. “He put my mum’s jeans on and he ran into the room and he was shouting, ‘Oh, you shrunk my jeans, you shrunk my jeans!’ “And then my mum turned around and went, ‘They’re my jeans, David’.” She added: “I do feel really upset that Isabella will never be able to meet her grandad. He would have absolutely loved her.” The Sun has approached Justice For Women for comment.