Man jailed for killing woman and concealing her body in a bin for a fortnight

A man who killed a woman and subsequently concealed her body in a wheelie bin for two weeks has been incarcerated. Theresa Jordan died at Mark Metcalfe’s home on 11 June 2022; however, nearly a fortnight later, surveillance footage captured him relocating a bin, which held her body, to a cluster of bushes near an Asda store in Harehills, Leeds. The precise cause of Ms Jordan’s death remains undetermined, though asphyxiation is considered a “possible cause”. Metcalfe, aged 40, was found guilty of manslaughter and preventing a lawful burial following a trial at Leeds Crown Court. He had previously received a total sentence of 17 years in prison. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Ms Jordan, also identified as Terri, was present at Metcalfe’s house in Compton Crescent, also situated in Harehills, accompanied by a female friend. There, they were all taking crack cocaine and drinking heavily. An argument broke out, and the two women left; however, Ms Jordan, aged 32, returned shortly after and was attacked and killed. She was stripped of her clothing and placed in the wheelie bin outside the house until complaints about a strong smell forced Metcalfe to move it. Furthermore, the court was informed that Metcalfe’s housemate had heard bangs on the night of the incident and had seen Metcalfe with a cut to his hand. A support worker who visited his home also discovered him cleaning the house in an “anxious state”. No motive for her death has ever been established. Det Ch Insp Guy Shackleton, the senior investigating officer from West Yorkshire Police, said: “The circumstances of Terri’s death and the discovery of her body presented us with some significant challenges, but we remained determined to bring the investigation to a successful conclusion on behalf of her family and we carried out extensive and painstaking enquiries over nearly two years to achieve that aim.” A pathologist described the circumstances of Ms Jordan’s death as “very concerning”, and the last confirmed sighting of her was on 11 June at Metcalfe’s house. The court heard the length of time between her death and when she was found presented “significant challenges”, but officers were able to identify her from tattoos and DNA. After Metcalfe left the body on Kimberley Road, he was also seen on camera walking back towards his address with the bin. Further enquiries showed he had then withdrawn cash from an ATM at a nearby shop before travelling with others to buy drugs. Metcalfe was initially arrested in July 2022 and was bailed until March this year. He denied murder and was found guilty of manslaughter. Metcalfe, of Ashton Mount, Harehills, received 14 years for the manslaughter charge and three for preventing the lawful burial of a body. Det Ch Insp Shackleton said: “Terri’s family are understandably still struggling to come to terms with her being so cruelly taken from them in such awful circumstances.” He added: “Metcalfe’s denials, both in police interviews and at his trial, have meant that her family still don’t have the answers they need about why he killed her, but we hope it will provide at least some degree of comfort to them to know he has now been criminally held to account for the pain he has caused.” The original article also included prompts to listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North, or submit a story idea. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC states it is not responsible for the content of external sites and provides information on its approach to external linking.