Zara Tolley told how she tried to stop her ex-fiancé Michael James after he took a knife from a kitchen draw and stabbed her new lover Bradley Hollis to death at her home in Sheffield
A woman at the centre of a deadly love triangle has told how her former partner stabbed her new lover to death with a kitchen knife as she “tried to stand between them”.
Michael James, 45, killed Bradley Hollis, 35, during a fight in March this year and was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of manslaughter. And Zara Tolley has now told how she witnessed the horrific incident in the Sheffield house she still shared with James despite the pair having split up last year. James had flown into a rage having become jealous that Mr Hollis was now going out with his former partner, with the situation coming to a head one night in March.
Zara said she had been with James for 10 years and despite problems existing in the relationship, they were due to get married in August 2024. However over Christmas 2023, she met Mr Hollis and became friends before it led to a romance.
In April 2024, after a night out, the couple slept together. Zara told The Sun: “I handled things badly; I should have ended it with Michael [James] first. But it happened, and I was in love with Bradley. I wanted to be with him.” She told how she cancelled the wedding with James, who she claimed had shown little interest in her and had said to people that he didn’t intend to get married anyway.
“I was worried how Michael would react. He didn’t want to move out even though we’d split up, and I’d started seeing Bradley,” said Zara. James then became increasingly jealous. “He didn’t want me whilst we were together; he was horrible to me. But now I’d found love, he didn’t like that either.”
Zara said James sent threatening messages, including: “I’m telling you now, if that w***** comes anywhere near my kids, I’ll kill you both. And don’t think I won’t because I will.” And on the night of the attack, James is alleged to have hit her over the head with a bottle of vodka and punched her. Mr Hollis heard everything as he was speaking to Zara on the phone at the time and so he went round to the house.
“They started fighting in the dining room. Michael got a knife from the kitchen drawer, but I didn’t see him stab Bradley. I was trying to stand between them, to stop Michael stabbing him,” Zara said.
While paramedics tried to save Mr Hollis, he was declared dead at the scene. Police bodycam footage showed the moment James was arrested by officers in the middle of the night after being found hiding in a shed.
Jailing James at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Graham Reeds KC said: “I’m sure your actions towards Bradley Hollis were a mixture of jealousy and concern for the fact he was coming to your house. Everyone was aware he should be nowhere near it.
“That said, the only reason he was coming to your house in the early hours of the morning was because you assaulted Zara, and she told him what you did. Whatever some people may have thought about Bradley, he was loved by his family and friends. And his death has left a hole in their lives, which can never be filled.”
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk.