Neighbours of a jealous mum-of-five, who stabbed her husband 22 times in a violent rage, have spoken of their shock.
Joanne Singleton, 49, repeatedly knifed Kevin leaving him fighting for his life because she thought he was cheating.
After the attack, she got their son Fox, 22, to hide two knives and a blade inside a McDonald’s bag.
When emergency services arrived at the scene, he was playing with a ball in the garden, despite being covered in his father’s blood.
The Singletons appeared to be just like any other village family – kept themselves to themselves, went to work and enjoyed living in an idyllic, drama-free village in Althorpe, Grimsby Live reports.
The horrific incident unfolded last September and was played out in Hull Crown Court on Monday when the mother and son were sentenced for their crimes.
Residents in Althorpe have expressed their disbelief about what was happening so close to their homes and say it is one of the most serious crimes ever to happen in the quiet North Lincolnshire village.
Resident Mark Wharton said: “When it happened, at first people were wondering what was going on, and then suddenly everyone in the village knew. We couldn’t believe it.
“I would have recognised the family if they had walked past.
“It’s hard to fit what happened with this quiet village where you know your neighbours. People still do the Thursday clap for carers for the community spirit.
“I said to the landlord of the house at the time: ‘You know how to pick them!’”
Duncan Tee, 53, said: “When I first heard about it, my reaction was: ‘Really? Here?’ I’ve lived here since 2014 and the previous worst crime that’s happened in that time is the theft of lead from roofs.
“Althorpe’s a lovely place to live, and there is always someone there if you need a hand. People tend to stay here for a long-time once they’ve moved here.”
Parish Councillor Lynnette Smith said: “We don’t want the village to be known for this. It shouldn’t be the first thing to come up when they Google Althorpe.
“There are so many good things that happen here in the community, and we’re hoping that it won’t harm the village’s reputation.
“People still feel very safe and welcome in Althorpe, and hopefully it will not put people off from visiting. Although it was awful, I think people find it reassuring that it wasn’t a random attack.
“For a while, everyone was in shock and then it goes back to normal. It’s reassuring in a way that life continues to move on.”
Hilary Hornsby, who has lived in Althorpe for 38 years, said of the attack: “It certainly isn’t the kind of thing that happens every day here – I can’t remember anything as serious as it before.
“The police often get a bashing the press, but they were extremely professional in how they handled it, and it has reassured people.”
When Mr Singleton was airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary for treatment for nearly two dozen stab wounds, his wife and son’s stories soon unravelled.
Crime Scene Investigators found a knife handle in the family’s conservatory and the knives concealed in the McDonald’s bag, which had been hidden in a towel and in a washing basket upstairs.
They also found texts from Joanne about her fears of an affair saying she “would not be taken for a mug”.
Joanne later came clean, saying Fox was “just looking after his mum. His mum and dad fight so many times and his mum gets a kicking, it's scared him.
"I didn't want to kill him, I just wanted to hurt him. I could have killed him."
Fox admitted to police that he had hidden the knives to protect his mum, although she had told him not to.
Joanne Singleton was convicted of Grievous Bodily Harm with intent following the incident on Monday, September 7.
She was jailed for six years and eight months wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Fox Singleton was handed a sentence of eight months suspended for two years for two counts of assisting an offender.
Kevin, her partner of 25 years, said he forgives his partner.
He told the court: “I thought she was the one I was going to spend my life with. There is an element of forgiveness because I love her.
“I can’t forget that day but on balance I forgive her.”
Detective Inspector Kerry Bul of Humberside Police said: “This attack could have cost Kevin his life, of which he spent a number of weeks in hospital and a number of months recovering from his injuries.
“I’d like to thank my team for the hard work and dedication they showed throughout the course of the investigation.
“I hope that the sentencing will provide some comfort to Kevin in knowing that Joanne has been reprimanded for her unjustifiable actions.”
