MAN JAILED FOR LIFE FOR MURDERING PARTNER AFTER FACEBOOK FIGHT
Brian Lewis, a 31-year-old resident of Pritchard Terrace in Phillipstown, New Tredegar, South Wales, was found guilty of murdering his partner, Hayley Jones.The killing is believed to have been linked to a dispute that may have been instigated by her changing her relationship status to single on Facebook.
The incident took place in the early hours of March 12 at their shared residence, where Lewis stabbed and strangled Ms.
Jones in front of their four children.
After the attack, Lewis fled the scene and drove directly to a police station, leaving their children to discover their mother’s body.
During his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, evidence showed that financial stress from Lewis’s redundancy and his partner’s frequent Facebook activity strained their relationship.
Lewis explained that he was trimming his nails with a kitchen knife and became frustrated during an argument, which caused the blade to puncture two sleeping bags and three layers of clothing Ms.
Jones was wearing as she tried to sleep on a sofa.
He confessed that he later found himself with his hands around her neck but let go only after hearing one of his sons calling upstairs.
After a jury deliberation lasting three hours, Lewis was convicted unanimously.
He displayed no emotion when the verdict was announced, though spectators cheered.
The judge, Roderick Evans, sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years, after deducting the time he had already spent in custody.
