Tracie Andrews
 |
Tracie Andrews/Tia Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tracie Andrews 9 April 1969 |
| Occupation | Prisoner for murder |
| Spouse | none |
| Children | none |
Tracie Margurite Andrews (born 9 April, 1969) is an English woman who murdered her fiancé, Lee Raymond Harvey (Born 20 September 1971) on 1 December 1996.
Andrews, a former model and barmaid, attacked Harvey in his car after they had stopped following an argument on the way to their flat in The Becks, Alvechurch, Worcester. Andrews stabbed Harvey over 40 times. Andrews appeared at a Press conference on 3 December, 1996 saying Harvey had been the victim of a road rage attack from a man with "staring eyes". She then took a drug overdose the following day but survived.
A West Mercia Police inquiry failed to find witnesses to the incident, and Andrews was arrested on the morning of Saturday 7 December, in hospital. She was released on bail after being charged. She continued to maintain her road-rage defence but was found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court on 29 July 1997 of the murder of Lee Harvey. She was sentenced to life imprisonment and a 14-year minimum term was recommended, which if served, will keep her behind bars until at least 2011 and the age of 42.
A subsequent appeal lodged by Andrews, alleging that she was the victim of a miscarriage of justice because of damaging publicity surrounding her case, was thrown out at a hearing in October 1998.[1]
During her imprisonment, (Initially at Bullwood Hall Prison) Andrews has saved the life of a fellow prisoner who attempted suicide, and this sparked fears that she could be out on parole even sooner than the trial judge had recommended. But the Home Secretary (who has since been stripped of his powers to amend minimum terms) later ordered that Andrews should serve no less than the 14 years that had been recommended by her trial judge.
In April 1999 Andrews admitted that she had carried out the crime, and following on from this a 2005 ITV1 docu-drama gave an account of her relationship with Lee Harvey and her conviction of his murder. It featured Sarah Manners as Andrews. In May 2009 Andrews' deception story was featured in an ITV documentary Tears, Lies and Videotapes.
In 2006 it was reported that Andrews was hoping to be released from jail within months and planned to marry, ending a series of same sex affairs, but Home Office sources denied that she was due to be released imminently.[2] She was however moved from Foston Hall jail in Derbyshire to Send prison near Woking, Surrey. An inmate of the therapeutic wing, she receives one-to-one counselling and has again admitted murdering Harvey. However, a prison source was quoted as saying: "Andrews has moved to this prison and admitted to the murder, which has surprised a lot of people. Although she has accepted her guilt, nobody really believes that she feels much remorse. She sees this as her first step on the way to parole. Andrews is manipulative and devious. Officers believe she will say or do anything to get out of jail." Since being moved to the jail, Andrews has changed her name to Tia Carter and made friends with Jane Andrews, the former aide of Sarah Ferguson who was jailed seven years ago for the murder by knife attack of boyfriend Tom Cressman.
Harvey's parents, Ray and Maureen, travelled to 10 Downing Street as part of a delegation of families involved in high-profile murder cases. They have often spoken of their belief that Andrews will kill again if released.