THIS is the moment a coward sobbed after leaving his lover dying in bed for 30 hours as he phoned his mum and bought sandwiches.
Ryan Sheridan was speaking to police for the first time about Kimberley McAssey, over a day after she was believed to have died.
The footage, captured on an officer’s body cam, shows Sheridan giving his version of events following the death of Kimberley.
Sheridan, now 34, is currently in prison for a Class A drug supply offence.
In the video, showed at an inquest this week, he shed crocodile tears for his lover while being consoled by his mother on the sofa.
Sheridan had refused to attend the inquest at Rochdale Coroners’ Court into Kimberley’s death, despite being summonsed to give evidence.
Coroner Joanne Kearsley highlighted how Sheridan was the sole witness to what went on in his flat at Sherbourne Court, in Prestwich, Greater Manchester in the early hours of February 20, 2021.
She said: “His self-serving cowardice, which persists to this day, demonstrates a blatant disregard for Kimberley”.
The inquest relied on accounts given by Sheridan to Greater Manchester Police, paramedics and his mum, Emma Heydon.
Heydon was the first person Sheridan told about Kimberley’s death, doing so in a phone call on the morning of February 21, 2021.
It took her around another 80 minutes before she dialled 999 to report Kimberley’s death, which the coroner concluded had happened by 6am the previous morning.
It was this delay that had devastating consequences for Kimberley’s family, as her postmortem then proved inconclusive.
This left the coroner to record an open conclusion on Tuesday this week.
The footage, shown in court, recorded PC Nicola Jones asking Sheridan about the events leading to Kimberley’s tragic death.
Sheridan told police that Kimberley had asked if he had “anything to take”, before they then took some MDMA (ecstasy).
He described how they moved from watching the TV show Benidorm in the living room to the bedroom, where they had sexual intercourse.
He tells police he then “chilled with her” and asked her if she needed anything, before spending around “an hour” typing Facebook statuses up in the living room.
Only then did he claim to notice something wrong with Kimberley.
Choking up, Sheridan said: “I’ve gone in the bedroom and lied next to her, wondering why she hasn’t come in.
“I’ve gone in, lay there, next to her for about half an hour, 40 minutes, and I just thought I’d give her a kiss, I’ll make sure she’s alright, and put my hand on her… and nothing was right.
“I kissed her and she was cold, and… I just… I tried giving her CPR and pushed her chest, I was saying ‘no, no’.”
The conversation took place a week after an allegation of assault was made against Sheridan, involving his former partner.
Sheridan was on bail at the time and later admitted the offence.
In the clip, he discussed and cited concerns about the allegations when asked by police to explain his 30-hour delay to notify authorities about Kimberley.
After two days of evidence, the coroner found inaccuracies in the accounts given by Sheridan, especially regarding Kimberley’s welfare at the time following their intercourse.
She said: “Whilst Mr Sheridan has attempted at times to suggest Kim spoke to him afterwards, I do not find this to be accurate.
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
“On balance I am satisfied that the likely scenario is that Kim by the end of sexual intercourse [was] virtually unresponsive.”
Coroner Kearsley also concluded it would be “unsafe” to record Kimberley’s death as caused by drugs, due to Sheridan’s inaction and “assault of previous partners”.
Additionally, a toxicology report found the level of MDMA in Kimberley’s system as above a recreational level, despite Sheridan referring to a “tiny bit” of the drug being consumed.
The inconclusive postmortem meant Kimberley’s family were left with unanswered questions after the inquest.
Karrie McAssey, Kimberley’s mum, described her daughter as “cheeky, funny, silly, one in a million.”
She added: “She was a child at heart no matter her age.
“Her smile changed the world and she never let the world change her smile.
“She was her own person and that’s what made Kim so special… We love and miss Kim so very much.
“Kim leaving us has turned our lives upside down and has destroyed our family.”
