Ambulance Worker Sent Disturbing Text After Trying to Kill Boss with Hammer: Police

It was a long-standing feud, dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic, that saw both women attempting to escalate their grievances with their employer, North West Ambulance Service in the UK.

Stacey Smith, 46, and Michala Morton had been working together for six years before Smith allegedly lay in wait outside Morton's house in Tameside, Greater Manchester at 5:30 a.m. on November 11, 2023, attacking her with a hammer, per The Guardian, in what police described as an "unprovoked and frenzied" attack.

In court, prosecutors said that Smith repeated called Morton a "b---h" during the attack, as reported by The Sun, which left the victim with a fractured skull and broken wrist from her attempts to defend herself.

Smith reportedly screamed that she was going to kill Morton during the attack, according to the police investigation, and allegedly sent a disturbing text message to a friend after fleeing the scene. The BBC reports that message read, "I've done it. I've smashed her head in. Oopsie xx!"

The Guardian reports that neighbors came out to render first aid and covered the hammer left behind in plastic, which aided crime scene investigators.

Smith pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, but guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. She was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced by Judge Hilary Manley at Manchester Crown Court to 20 years behind bars, after the judge noted, "I detect very little remorse."

She must serve three-quarters of her 20-year jail term before she can be considered for parole, and afterward must serve an extended 5-year probationary period.

"In fact it seems you feel you were justified in your actions, or at least driven to it," Manley added, per The Guardian. "You harbored feelings of resentment and you demonstrated no reservations about trying to inflict really serious violence on a completely defenseless person."

Detective Constable Stephen McNee of Greater Manchester Police's Tameside Criminal Investigation Department praised Morton's bravery, saying, "Physical injuries may heal but the mental trauma of the attack will stay with the victim for life."

At North West Ambulance Service, Morton was in charge of several different employees, including Smith and her wife. According to investigators, the relationship between the two women began to deteriorate during the COVID-19 pandemic as ambulance workers had to adjust shifts to keep up with changing demands.

Prosecutor Hayley Bennett said in court, per The Sun, that Smith began to grow resentful of Morton when she learned that she was not going to be able to maintain the same shift schedule as her wife.

According to the prosecution, this grievance continued for months, culminating in a patient's funeral Smith and her wife were unable to attend due to work commitments.

At this time, Smith purportedly began leaving many abusive comments on Morton's Facebook page, according to GBNews.

She also reportedly said she would "never let this go," per the outlet, which led Morton to escalate the situation at NWAS by requesting that both Smith and her wife be removed from her team. That request was denied.

At the same time, though, the court was told that Smith and Morton were kept separate at work due to a different ongoing investigation happening at the time. After Smith and her wife were absent from work for six months, NWAS began questioning her mental health.

It would appear that Smith wasn't the only one dissatisfied with working under Morton, as her wife reportedly told authorities "she could not cope" with working with Morton and even threatened to take her own life over it.

Smith then filed a complaint with the company against Morton, alleging that both she and her wife were being "targeted" by their boss. That matter was still under investigation when the alleged attack took place.

In fact, according to the court proceedings, Morton was due to be interviewed by the company's human resources department just days after Smith allegedly assaulted her with a hammer outside her home. GBNews reports Smith phoned a friend from the scene and said she "couldn't take it anymore."

Morton suffered "life-changing" head injuries after the attack, which the prosecution said showed a "significant degree of planning," as the attacker had to find Morton's address online and find her work shift to know when to wait, per The Guardian.

After the sentencing, a spokesperson for NWAS said of Morton, per The Sun, "The last year has been incredibly difficult for her, and we hope this will mark a milestone in her ongoing recovery."

McNee added, "We are pleased with today's result, which has seen a violent woman taken off the streets and we hope that this goes some way to helping the victim to come to terms with what has happened to her and allows her to heal."

Before Smith's sentence, Morton took to the stand to make an impact statement. She said that she "absolutely adored" her job, but is now unable to complete her duties due to her injuries, per Manchester Evening News.

She went on to say that her home no longer felt like a "safe place," saying that she now has her husband walk her to her care every day because "I am scared someone will be waiting for me every time."

Morton described the resetting of her wrist bones was "the worst pain I have ever experienced," adding that the injury still hasn't fully healed and she's been left with numbness and an inability to grip. She also said she suffers short-term memory loss as a result of the head trauma.

She's been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety since the attack, for which she said she is now medicated. "Any noises or sudden movements from behind me me scared and I have previously screamed in public," she shared. "I have seen her face before in the most random of places such as in passing cars, the aisles of supermarkets, and most disturbingly, on the shoulders of people I pass in the street."

She also said that she's no longer able to go to the gym, which was a personal passion for her as she'd previously completed 18 marathons and an iron man contest.

"I am an independent and strong-willed person who has been proud of my positive mental health," she said in court. "I have been robbed of this."