Man guilty of wife and lover murder

Alex Marshall was convicted of murdering 41-year-old Fiona Marshall and Richard Flippance, 44, by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.

He was also found guilty of arson, having set fire to the property in Brampton Ash, Northamptonshire, to cover his tracks following the stabbings on April 2 last year.

Mrs Marshall had met Mr Flippance through an internet dating agency about a month before their deaths, the court heard.

Marshall, of Irchester Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, had denied two charges of murder and one of arson.

During the trial, the jury was told that Marshall had been "spying" on his estranged wife by reading her emails and creating a fake profile on an online dating website.

Prosecutor David Fisher QC said Marshall was "obsessed" with finding out about her new relationship and accused him of stalking Mrs Marshall on the internet.

Mr Flippance, from Thame in Oxfordshire, was staying the night at Mrs Marshall's bungalow, situated on Manor Farm on an estate owned by Mr Ross, when they were brutally stabbed to death.

Mrs Marshall died of eight stab wounds, and Mr Flippance was stabbed three times, the court was told.

During the trial, the jury heard how DNA from Mr Flippance was found in the footwell of Marshall's car. They also heard how Marshall was discovered with singed hair and eyebrows, and had a burn mark on the tip of his nose when examined by police following his arrest.