Abuse boyfriend jailed for murder

Newton had two convictions for assaulting Miss Morrin

An abusive boyfriend who strangled his partner with a pair of her baby daughter's tights, then slit her throat, has been jailed for life.

Stephen Newton, 38, was on bail accused of an earlier attack on Nicola Morrin when he murdered her at her flat in Gosforth, Newcastle, in July 2008.

A condition of his bail was that he did not visit the 26-year-old's home.

Newton, who admitted manslaughter by provocation, but denied murder, was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years.

The jury at Newcastle Crown Court heard that, as his victim bled to death, he confessed to the killing in a phone call to his sister, who then dialled 999.

When police burst into the flat, in Bramwell Court, they found Newton watching television, feet from the body, while Miss Morrin's one-year-old daughter slept in the next room.

The court was told the attack was the culmination of an abusive seven-year relationship.

Miss Morrin's mother said her daughter's life was tragically wasted

Prosecutor Toby Hedworth QC said Newton regularly attacked Miss Morrin after they began seeing each other in 2000 and had two convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm recorded against her.

After one break-up, Miss Morrin began seeing another man and became pregnant.

Newton said he had snapped after finding out he was not the father of the child, but Judge John Milford QC rejected his claims.

He said: "It was a troubled relationship punctuated by violence. It was obvious to all around that the relationship was doomed.

"You couldn't live happily together but you couldn't live apart."

It took the jury five hours to convict Newton, of Kirkston Avenue, Lemington, of murder.

Miss Morrin's mother Jeanette said her daughter's life had been "tragically wasted", and that she hoped other women can learn from her death.

"My message to anyone who finds themselves in a violent relationship like Nicola did is to get out.

"There's help out there for you but you also have to help yourself.

"No matter how hard the police and other agencies try to protect people, it is also up to individuals to take themselves away from the situation they are in."