A "JEALOUS" man who stabbed his former partner five times has been found guilty of her murder and jailed for life.

Joseph Turner was described by Recorder Simon Bourne-Arton as “an entirely selfish individual” who could not deal with the fact that Pamela Turner did not want to be with him.

Turner, 62, gave no reaction as he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 15 years.

Turner stabbed Ms Turner, 61, who was previously married to his brother, with a steak knife while she sat on the sofa in her flat in Selaby House, in the Spring Hill area of Darlington, on October 19 last year.

Without calling for help, he took a taxi back to his home in Sanderson Street where he carried on drinking, as she bled to death from stab wounds to her heart and liver.

The guilty verdict was welcomed by Ms Turner’s family, who said justice had been served for the grandmother-of-six.

Throughout the seven day trial at Teesside Crown Court, Turner, an alcoholic, had insisted that he had lost control and stabbed Ms Turner because she had been goading him.

After two hours of deliberation, the jury of nine women and three men rejected his claims and unanimously found him guilty of murder.

Passing sentence, the judge, Recorder Simon Bourne-Arton, said: “You are a man who, when in a partnership, is used to having his own way.

“When a partner chooses to leave you, you will not and cannot accept it. You are not just a jealous individual; you are an entirely selfish individual. You only think about your own wants and desires.

“I’m also of the view that when you are drunk you are violent.

“You murdered Pamela Turner. She made a clear and conscious decision to leave you, but you would not have that.

“On October 19, having drunk all day you went to her home. You spent the time trying to persuade her to come back to you and she told you no, in no uncertain terms. In drink, and perhaps in frustration, but in full control of what you were doing, you stabbed her repeatedly.”

The recorder also criticised Turner for his “distasteful” claim that, after being stabbed, Ms Turner told him that she loved him and asked him to forgive her.

Recorder Bourne-Arton added: “You did not love her. You wanted to possess her. Had you had an ounce of feelings for her you would have got her help. You deliberately chose not to do so.”

Speaking after the verdict, Ms Turner’s son-in-law Mick McCabe said: “We are happy, justice has been served from the family’s point of view.”

Detective Chief Inspector Victoria Fuller, from Durham Police, said: “The verdict and the sentence given by the judge have ensured justice has been done and provide Mr Turner with the time to reflect upon his actions and the pain and devastation he caused.”