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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Cannabis murderer jailed for life | Cannabis murderer jailed for life |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A cannabis user who stabbed his girlfriend to death after becoming convinced she was part of a plot to kill him has been jailed for murder. | |
| Marc Middlebrook, 26, of Larkspur Croft, Boston, Lincolnshire, attacked Stephanie Barton, 32, with three knives in December 2007. | |
| Middlebrook denied murder claiming he was mentally ill, but the court heard his illness was self-inflicted. | |
| He was given a life term and ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years. | |
| Middlebrook was found guilty on Wednesday. | Middlebrook was found guilty on Wednesday. |
| 'Very moving' | 'Very moving' |
| Sentencing him at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Michael Heath said: "What happened to Stevie Barton at your hands was terrible. | |
| Her family will never get over it and in a different way, neither will yours Judge Michael Heath | |
| "I heard yesterday the victim impact statement from her mother and I re-read it last night. It's a very moving document. | "I heard yesterday the victim impact statement from her mother and I re-read it last night. It's a very moving document. |
| "Her family will never get over it, and in a different way and for different reasons, neither will yours." | "Her family will never get over it, and in a different way and for different reasons, neither will yours." |
| The jury heard how Middlebrook had smoked cannabis since the age of 16, increasing his use after meeting Ms Barton, an accountancy student. | The jury heard how Middlebrook had smoked cannabis since the age of 16, increasing his use after meeting Ms Barton, an accountancy student. |
| Prosecutors challenged his claims of diminished responsibility by arguing he made his problems worse by "stubbornly" persisting in his use of cannabis - despite doctors advising him to stop. | Prosecutors challenged his claims of diminished responsibility by arguing he made his problems worse by "stubbornly" persisting in his use of cannabis - despite doctors advising him to stop. |
| William Harbage QC told the court Middlebrook's abnormality of mind was "self-inflicted". | |
| When interviewed, Middlebrook claimed he stabbed her to death because he feared for his own life. | When interviewed, Middlebrook claimed he stabbed her to death because he feared for his own life. |