A woman was jailed for life after stabbing her former brother-in-law to death in broad daylight with 'little regard for her actions', before openly telling police she did not 'care' what she had done, as it emerged she was previously convicted for cocaine smuggling.
Single mother-of-two Stephanie Langley was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court for the premeditated and unprovoked assault on pub landlord Matthew Bryant, which resulted in his death.
Langley fatally wounded Mr Bryant, a 52-year-old grandfather, at around 6pm on 11 September 2023 in Lower Boxley Road, just outside the Hare and Hounds public house, which he had run for 15 years.
She had driven there and argued with Mr Bryant just 20 minutes before her attack.
Langley then drove to Maidstone East train station and removed a large kitchen knife from her car before returning to the scene.
Stephanie Langley was jailed for life after stabbing her former brother-in-law to death in broad daylight with 'little regard for her actions', before openly telling police she did not 'care' what she had done, as it emerged she was previously convicted for cocaine smuggling
Langley fatally wounded her former brother-in-law Matthew Bryant, a 52-year-old grandfather, just outside the Hare and Hounds public house in Maidstone, which he had run for 15 years. Pictured: Matthew with his wife Caroline
There she found Mr Bryant was outside the pub on the phone to 999 operators reporting the earlier argument.
Footage released by police shows the moments before the attack as Mr Bryant spoke to the emergency operators, before confronting Langley outside while still on the phone.
Langley can be seen on the CCTV approaching him and knocking his phone to the ground.
As Mr Bryant turned and bent down to retrieve his phone, Langley stabbed him in the back twice, before striking a fatal blow to his chest.
The final 20cm deep wound was found to have gone through his heart.
Kent Police officers attended and arrested her at the scene a short while afterwards, and she can be heard on footage from inside the police car saying 'I don't care' , in regards to her actions.
She told an officer: 'I took a knife and I killed him.I don't care.'
Langley, of Wilsons Lane, East Farleigh, was charged with murder and possessing a knife in a public place.
The 54-year-old denied murdering Mr Bryant, but pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
She was convicted of murder earlier this month, following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, and remanded in custody.
At that trial, the jury heard that as Mr Bryant lay dying, Langley was seen to raise her hands in a fist motion.
Langley fatally wounded Mr Bryant, a 52-year-old grandfather, at around 6pm on 11 September 2023 in Lower Boxley Road, just outside the Hare and Hounds public house, which he had run for 15 years
While she was under arrest at the scene, Langley was overheard repeatedly remarking she had killed him and that she was glad she'd done it and was happy to go to jail.
Defence barrister, Josh Coopper, told the jury that she was sentenced on March 15, 1996, for fraudulent evasion of a prohibition by bringing a Class A drug into the UK.
She was jailed for 14 years for cocaine smuggling, which was later reduced to 11 on appeal.
Upon her release on licence in 2001/02 she went to live with her parents in Maidstone and started a relationship with a man called Davey.
In CCTV footage released, Matthew can be seen on the phone to the police in the minutes prior to the murder taking place
The victim had told the operator that Langley had accused him of violence and rape but he said there were no police records of any such allegations
He had worked on a farm connected to the East Sutton Park Prison where she had served her sentence.
She went on to work at a care home looking after people with special needs and did some bar work and gardening until her son was born in 2003.
She and Davey split after about five years.
The court previously heard how although once related by marriage, Langley had not seen Mr Bryant for more than 20 years.
On 11 September 2023, Langley's son Cameron Langley-McColmtold her he would be playing pool at Mr Bryant's pub.
She replied: 'Enjoy your pool with the w*****'. Later, she told him: 'I'll see you there. Crazy mum remember.'
MrLangley-McColm saidhis mother had alleged that Mr Bryant was violent, abusive, and had committed rape.
Langley had previously become angry during an encounter with Mr Bryant in May last year.
She was made to leave the pub by Mr Bryant at the time after making threats, the court heard.
Despite previously being related by marriage, Mr Bryant's first contact with Langley in 21 years was when she had turned up at his pub in May 2023.
On the day of the stabbing,CCTV captured Langley arriving at the Hare and Hounds at 5.53pm and being served a drink by Mr Bryant who joined her at a table.
She was later seen trying to knock Mr Bryant's phone out of his hand while he was serving a customer - someone who Langley allegedly told: 'Get a drink while he is still alive.'
Just six minutes later, Mr Bryant's wife Caroline - who did not know Langley - asked her to leave and told her husband to phone the police.
Matthew Bryant was heard calmly telling the operator that his former sister-in-law had threatened to kill him
In the next harrowing moment of the footage, Langley can be seen approaching Bryant with a knife before fatally stabbing him
But as Langley got up, she allegedly told him: 'You're dead tonight.'
Langley then drove her car to Maidstone East train station and left it parked there with the hazard lights on before she walked back to the pub.
By 6.05pm, Mr Bryant was outside and in the middle of his police call, which was also played in court.
He was heard calmly telling the operator that his former sister-in-law had threatened to kill him.
'Today, she has come in intentionally, had a whiskey, sat down and said 'I'm going to have you killed',' he explained.
'I don't want to be told I'm going to be killed. I just sat down out of politeness, but she said to me three times 'I'm going to have you killed'. How can you respond to that?'
Mr Bryant also added that Langley had been 'gunning for' him when she attended the pub in May. He said that he had not reported that incident because he had not taken it seriously.
He also told the operator that Langley had accused him of violence and rape but he said there were no police records of any such allegations.
It was at this point in the conversation that Langley approached him. Mr Bryant said: 'Hang on a tick, would you like to speak to her? I have got the police on the phone.'
But the phone was then knocked out of his hand and the alleged attack ensued off-camera.
A few seconds later, Mr Bryant could be heard telling the operator: 'I have just been stabbed' while people, including his wife, went to his aid.
Paramedics tried to save Mr Bryant's life but he was eventually declared dead at the scene just before 6:50pm.
Body worn video footage recorded by police showed Langley in a distressed state during this time, shouting: 'Get away from me, I want to stab him. I killed him. I don't care. I want him dead...I'm just so happy. I hate him so much... I hope he dies.'
Appearing at court on Thursday, Langley was sentenced to life and told she will have to serve a minimum of 24 years before she can be considered for parole.
At her sentencing, Kent Online reports that Judge Philip St.John-Stevens told Langley her actions were as a result of a belief that her victim had committed rape years earlier.
He said: 'You intended to kill him, an act of revenge for what you believed he had done.
'You are a highly intelligent woman but a manipulative one who has given a lying account.
'You showed no remorse and carried on protesting to police that you hoped he would die and you had done it because of what you believed.'
Detective Chief Inspector David Higham, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'Langley murdered a much-loved husband and popular landlord in cold blood.
'She planned her attack, stashing the murder weapon in her car ahead of her trip to the Hare and Hounds that evening.
'The offender gave such little regard to her actions that she carried out the attack in broad daylight.
'I would like to thank all the witnesses that stepped forward to help our investigation, as well as the officers whose hard work led to her conviction.
'Now the case is concluded, I hope that Mr Bryant's friends and family can grieve their loss, knowing that justice has been served against the person responsible for his death.'
