A MOTHER of six stabbed her partner to death during a furious row because she flashed her breasts at a family christening.

June Wilkie, 34, finally snapped after suffering 15 years of bullying, abuse and rapes at the hands of her brutal partner David Wilkie.

She was charged with murder, but yesterday escaped jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of provocation.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how she was finally pushed to the edge and took one beating too many last February 13 after the row.

The court heard that David Wilkie, 40, flew into a rage when he saw her lift up her top and bare all to guests at the baptism celebration.

His anger spilled over when the pair returned to their home in Tilbury Road, Thorney Close, Sunderland.

But the row took a fatal twist when his partner plunged a 16-inch kitchen knife into his chest as the couple's 14-year-old daughter looked on.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Brian Forster QC, prosecuting, told the court: "During the party one of the guests was asked to show her breasts. She did so and as a result the defendant decided to show her own breasts to make some comparison.

"The deceased protested about the conduct of the defendant. A row broke out and the defendant armed herself with the knife from the christening cake and chased the deceased out of the room with it."

The court heard that during interviews with police June Wilkie disclosed the full horror of abuse and terror at the hands of her common-law husband.

Wilkie met her partner when she was just 17 when he was released from a prison sentence and the pair soon moved in together.

Vera Baird, defending, said: "She is not a criminal but a victim of circumstances which she was subjected to for a long period of time."

After hearing lengthy supporting evidence about the abuse from several experts, Judge David Hodson decided against sending Wilkie to custody and placed her on probation for three years