A MUM-of-two's life was plunged into turmoil when her fiancé stabbed himself in front of her – and she was then wrongly accused of his murder.
Joleen Hulme was banged up in jail for six months on remand as she struggled to come to terms with Paul Dickson’s death.
The pair had got engaged on a romantic holiday in Egypt just three months earlier after a whirlwind year-long romance.
But Joleen's world came crashing down when he stuck a knife into his chest in front of her after a row.
Yet the horror of watching Paul, 48, do it on December 30, 2018, was only the start of the pain and torment she would endure over the next two years.
Her husband-to-be died less than a fortnight later in hospital from heart failure on January 11, 2019 – and Joleen, of Bolton, was then arrested on suspicion of Paul’s murder and was bailed until September of that year.
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In that time, she could only see her children for an hour-and-a-half each day with supervision.
She was rearrested that month and again released on bail with the same conditions before being formally charged with Paul's murder in May 2020.
Joleen was acquitted of the killing after a three-week trial, and she still has no idea why he did it.
Sharing her hellish ordeal, Joleen said: “I’ve thought about whether he meant to do it a million times.
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“He looked after me so well, and I knew he loved me so much.
“We were really happy and then all of a sudden my partner had died on the floor.
“Even to this day, I don’t feel like I’ve had time to grieve because I’ve had that fight on my hands to try and prove my innocence.”
The 37-year-old said she still struggles to accept that Paul is gone "because everything happened so quickly".
“Even though I’ve had to go through all that trauma, my body chooses not to accept it because it’s too much to deal with,” she added.
Joleen and Paul had known each other through family friends for years but didn’t get together until later in life, when they had both had children with previous partners.
Joleen said: “We knew we had something special and it just seemed to be a mutual decision to get together as we were so close and happy to be around each other.”
NEW YEAR STABBING
Cupboard maker Paul tragically stabbed himself after a pre-New Year family party at the couple’s house following a row over him smoking.
Joleen, who never could have imagined how it would escalate, said: “Things were thrown around the front room.
“Paul then grabbed hold of me and I went upstairs to escape him, and he pulled me back down and pushed me into the front room.
“He walked into the kitchen to get a knife, walked back into the front room and pushed me onto the couch.
“The anger in his face was just something else, he had totally changed.
“Then I just see the motion. I see him just thump his chest and in that moment, I just knew what he’d done.”
Paul staggered out of the front door and collapsed on the street with blood pouring from his chest while Joleen screamed for help behind him.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate Paul before rushing him to hospital for emergency surgery.
The knife – which was later recovered from the road – had pierced his heart.
Even though it was a not guilty verdict, people still think I did it.
Joleen was taken to her parents' home and arrested the following morning on suspicion of GBH with intent.
The heartbroken mum says the days that followed were the hardest of her life as, despite being released on bail, she was unable to see any of her family, or Paul who was fighting for his life.
When Paul came around in hospital, he told police and family that he didn’t remember what happened.
According to cops, he was asking after his fiancée and wanted to know why she couldn’t see him before he died.
Joleen’s trial took place in November 2020 and lasted three weeks.
Forensic evidence was scarce due to the amount of blood on the knife stopping any fingerprints from being recovered so prosecutors relied on bad character statements to see Joleen convicted.
But a pivotal moment came when Joleen's barrister asked the coroner to demonstrate with a ruler how he would stab himself in the chest.
Joleen said: “I’ll never forget that. The coroner did the exact same motion to his chest that I did to the police when they arrived on the scene – which was caught on the police bodycam. That was massive.
“He was proving to the jury that Paul could have done it himself.”
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
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- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
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Joleen was found not guilty by unanimous decision, but leaving prison was bittersweet as she had to rebuild her life without the man she loved by her side.
To make matters worse, her home had been broken into while she was inside, pushing her to move to another town to keep her family safe.
Joleen, who was denied counselling from a local provider while on bail, said: “The fact my name was dragged through the mud meant I didn't feel safe. I was being called a murderer on Facebook.
“Even though it was a not guilty verdict, people still think I did it.
“And it’s cruel because I’ve witnessed my partner kill himself.
“I take each day as it comes because I’m still healing.”
Joleen, who got custody of her children again last summer, is now seeking compensation from the police.
She said she has had no apology for being wrongly accused and is getting legal advice on her next steps.
A CPS spokesperson said: “It is not the role of the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a jury to consider.
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“We are satisfied that our decision to bring a charge of murder was correct, in accordance with our legal test, and we respect the verdict the jury reached in this case.”
Greater Manchester Police declined to comment.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
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