Man guilty of partner's stab murder

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Arthur Pitt-Pladdy, 37, of Saundersfoot, West Wales, left his 44-year-old partner, Kim Butler, in a pool of blood on the floor of their flat with a bread knife buried in her neck, Swansea Crown Court was told.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict after hearing a blood-soaked Pitt-Pladdy then walked out and called the police from a phone box, confessing he had killed "my missus".

The case was adjourned for sentencing on a date yet to be fixed.

Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones told Pitt-Pladdy before he was led to the cells: "I'm sure you will understand there is only one sentence I can impose.

"You have been convicted of murder and the sentence I will pass on you in due course will be one of life imprisonment."

The jury heard that Pitt-Pladdy gave police a detailed account of his brutal knife attack on his partner, which happened in the early hours of August 13 last year.

He said his partner had been "mouthy" and had triggered the assault by hitting and nagging him. But he went on to claim that he had almost no memory of the fatal attack.

During the trial, the defence said Pitt-Pladdy was such a chronic alcoholic that his condition amounted to an abnormality of mind. Pitt-Pladdy was diagnosed as suffering from Alcohol Disorder Syndrome (ADS) and evidence was presented which suggested his memory had been impaired by years of alcohol and drug abuse.

He had denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.