BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT NURSE'S PARTNER SENTENCED FOR LIFE IN FEROCIOUS MURDER
A man accused of murdering his partner, a finalist on Britain's Got Talent, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.Desmond Sylva, aged 41, was convicted of killing Simonne Kerr, 31, by stabbing her more than 70 times with a 20cm kitchen knife at his residence in Clapham, south London, on August 15.
During sentencing, judge Wendy Joseph QC remarked that Ms Kerr was "in your home undressed and in your bed and was about as vulnerable as a person can be".
Sylva was told he must serve a minimum of 21 years before being eligible for parole.
The judge also described Sylva as having a "dreadful and ungovernable" temper and called it a "sustained and ferocious attack," emphasizing that "You killed Simonne Kerr because you are a man of violent disposition prone to outbursts of violent temper." Sylva admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming that his depression impaired his mental function.
However, the jury found him guilty of murder.
During the trial, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC indicated Sylva's actions stemmed from "sexual desire, appalling violence and desperate lies" and that Sylva wanted to restart a sexual relationship with Ms Kerr, whom he met via a dating app.
When Sylva's advances were rejected, he lost control and "exploded." The court portrayed Sylva as an ex-Army soldier who served in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers from 2002 to 2012 before being discharged on medical grounds.
A 999 call played in court captured Sylva stating: "I've just committed a murder.
I'm ex-Army and I've got lots of mental health issues." A photograph of Sylva shows him after the attack, with images of the crime scene and victims discussed during the proceedings.
