Polly Murphy, 42, of Highgate, London, was sentenced to life in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on 4 February 2026 and ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years for the murder of her partner, 47-year-old James Self, following an investigation by Essex Police.
The fatal assault took place at the Smugglers Cove Hotel in Clacton-on-Sea on 8 November 2023 during what prosecutors said was a trip to celebrate Murphy’s 40th birthday. Murphy launched a sustained and violent assault and then waited about 18 hours before calling emergency services; Mr Self was taken to hospital and died six weeks later, on 21 December 2023.
Security footage shown at trial captured Murphy leaving the hotel room after the assault, the Clacton and Frinton Gazette reported. Text messages shown to the jury displayed an increasingly volatile and controlling pattern in the days and weeks leading up to the attack.
Mr Self’s family described him as a gentle man. His mother, Ashe, told ITV News: ‘His kindness may have cost him his life.’ Detective Constable Anthony Kopf of the Essex and Kent Serious Crime Directorate said the case ‘serves as a reminder that domestic abuse can affect anyone, including men,’ and urged anyone experiencing abuse to seek support.
Murphy had a previous conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2009, which was taken into account at sentencing. The life sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court concludes the criminal proceedings in the case.
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