Jillian Hughes, 57, was on holiday in the Isle of Man with her partner John Meadows and other family members when he lashed out in anger during an argument that turned fatal
A daughter has paid tribute to her “outgoing and bubbly” mum who was murdered in a “barbaric” attack by her partner during a family holiday.
Jillian Hughes, 57, was on a trip to the Isle of Man with her partner, John Meadows, 53, and other family members when she was struck in the neck and suffered a “heavy blow” during an argument which subsequently killed her. An inquest into the grandmother’s death in March 2024 heard that a fight had broken out between Jillian and another family member while the group were out having drinks in the capital. Jillian, from Kirkby, Merseyside, was struck whilst walking along the promenade outside the Best Western hotel. She sustained a single blow to the neck from Meadows and fell to the ground before being taken to hospital.
Jillian’s daughter, Chantelle Hughes, said her mother “was a great character” who “would do anything for anybody”. The 39-year-old told Liverpool Echo: “She was great; she was very outgoing and bubbly. She would do anything for anybody. She was very good with my nan and grandad, and she absolutely adored them. She was a great character; her personality shone through everything, and even on her down days, she had a smile on her face. She was very dedicated to her job as a support worker. She also had a little chihuahua named Coco, whom she took everywhere with her.”
“She loved her holidays, she loved going away. She thrived for life, she had three grandchildren and there’s another one on the way. She’s missing out on a lot with the kids, they’ve started high school and they still say ‘Why’s it happened to our nan?’ and ‘John was meant to love her, why has he taken her away?’.
“It’s a hard one but she was a great character, she was funny and laughed at her own jokes. She shone for life, she was always working hard. It’s been a difficult time, especially for my nan and grandad. My grandad is 90 and my grandma is 81 so it’s taking its toll on them as well. She’s got a new grandchild on the way. She’s missed by everybody, everywhere we go people say they can’t believe what happened. It’s still as big a shock today as the night I found out.”
Jillian leaves behind her three daughters, Chantelle, Sarah, 34, and Megan, 26, as well as three grandchildren. The family, who all live in Kirkby, are now continuing to grieve the loss of Jillian, with Chantelle thanking police for their support throughout the case. She said: “I just want to say a massive thank you to the Isle of Man police and Merseyside Police, both forces have been fantastic. Everyone has been outstanding, we couldn’t have got through it if they it wasn’t for them. The support from the community has been amazing as well, everyone has been fantastic. The support and comfort, I can’t thank police enough.”
John Meadows pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison. Speaking about his sentence, Chantelle said: “We don’t feel like we got any justice. No matter what he could have got it would never have been enough. It was barbaric.”
