Woman guilty in stab murder case

Bernard Evans bled to death following the knife attack

A woman has been found guilty of the murder of her mother's boyfriend by stabbing him to death.

Maxine Williams, 22, attacked Bernard Evans, 42, with a knife, stabbing him in the chest and arm.

She denied murdering him in his home in Ammanford on 22 January but was found guilty by a jury at Swansea Crown Court and will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Speaking after the verdict Mr Evans family said they had lost a "precious father, son and brother."

An artery in Mr Evans's arm was severed in the attack and he bled to death in the kitchen of his home in Pantyffynnon Road.

Williams, the mother of a young baby, lived in Pembrey at the time.

In a statement issued after the verdict Mr Evans's family said: "In the early hours of 22 January our lives were changed forever.

During the trail the jury heard 999 calls made following the stabbing

"The manner of his death was so horrible we can't bring ourselves to think about it for any length of time, nobody deserved to be treated the way Bernard was in his last moments.

"We have lost a precious father, son and brother. We face the prospect of Christmas without him.

"His birthday this year went by without us being able to pass him a birthday card, we will never be able to pick up the phone to hear his voice, call him for help in the garden, or to do the little things he was able to do for us.

"Caine will never have the father and son chats they used to have."

They said they had been "frustrated at the callousness of the defendant" and "the lies that have been said before and during the trial."

"Bernard is not here to defend himself, but as a family we knew Bernard better than anyone, and that's all that matters," they added.

"The pain of losing Bernard will never go away, but pray that it eases with time.

"We know Bernard's in God's hands but we would rather have him in ours."

Repeatedly violent

Before sending the jury out to consider its verdict the judge, Mr Justice Nigel Davis, told them Williams had offered police three explanations but had declined to enter the witness box.

These included that she was suffering from diminished responsibility.

The judge also said her other defences appeared to be that she had not meant to kill him and that it was self defence.

He pointed out that at various stages during police interviews she she had maintained that she had not meant to hurt Mr Evans and that she had stabbed him accidentally while trying to stop him from attacking her.

But in other accounts she said she had been planning to kill him for months because he had been repeatedly violent towards her mother.

He reminded the jury she said during one interview: "I've been tasting blood for weeks."

Police used a taser gun to restrain Ms Williams when she fled into the garden after the killing, the court has been told.