Man guilty of jail teacher murder

Keith Prest pestered Louise Evans with notes after their relationship ended

A killer has been jailed for life for stabbing his ex-partner to death in a "frenzied attack".

Keith Prest, of no fixed address, denied murdering teacher Louise Evans, 48, at East Sutton Park open prison, Kent, on 12 September 2007.

The body of the mother-of-two was found with 43 stab wounds, in the car park of the women's prison, close to her car.

Unemployed Prest, 49, was told by the judge at Maidstone Crown Court that he would serve a minimum of 17 years.

He declined to give evidence to the jury when his defence case opened last week.

'Controlling beast'

During the five-week trial, jurors heard how he had been involved in a stormy and short-lived relationship with Ms Evans, of Hothfield, near Ashford.

The jury was told that after Ms Evans told Prest the relationship was over, he pestered her by leaving notes taped to her car and pushing letters through her letterbox.

The court heard how he lay in wait for her and killed her in a "brutal and frenzied" knife attack at the prison, where she worked teaching English to foreign inmates preparing for release.

Alan Kent, prosecuting, described how Prest changed his clothes and disposed of the knife at a motorway service station on the M2, near Canterbury, and lied about his whereabouts.

Louise Evans had two daughters, aged 24 and 27

Trainers with traces of Ms Evans's blood on them, which Prest had worn on the day of the killing, were discovered in a recycling bin near Wincheap, the court was told.

Speaking after Prest was sentenced, Det Ch Insp John Coull, of Kent Police, said he was a "nasty, vindictive, controlling beast of a man".

"He intimidated people that were more vulnerable than him and sought to exert himself to control them and control the way that they lived."

He added: "Louise had taken steps, after a significant length of time, to remove Prest from her life and was moving on to new things.

"Our thoughts are with her daughters and family who have been through an extremely distressing ordeal during the last year."

In a joint statement, Ms Evans' daughters Sabrina and Laura said: "Words cannot express our gratitude to Kent Police and the prosecution team for their hard work and dedication.

"Obviously our mother's death has been a devastating and painful experience.

"However, now we can begin to look forward, knowing that justice has been done and that this monster cannot hurt anyone else again."