Kitten's name led man to murder

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A 22-year-old man has been jailed for life for stabbing his girlfriend to death after an argument about a kitten.

Andrew Day had denied the murder of Ellen Leach, who he stabbed twice in the back with a Bowie knife at their flat in Farley Hill, Luton.

Luton Crown Court heard how the row started over the naming of the kitten, but escalated when the 25-year-old said she was going to meet an ex-boyfriend.

Day was told he must serve a minimum term of 15 years for the murder.

The court heard that the killing happened in the early hours of 26 May 2008 at the the flat the couple shared at The Truncalls.

The prosecution said that when Day moved in he had not been allowed to bring his collection of knives.

This was a straight forward loss of temper leading to the use of a fearsome weapon Judge John Bevan

However, the mother-of-two - known as Becky - had made an exception for his special Bowie knife, and it was this weapon with which he stabbed her.

Day claimed he was provoked so that he lost his self control and that he was also suffering from diminished responsibility.

But the jury found him guilty of murder after eight hours of deliberation.

Passing sentence Judge John Bevan QC told Day: "This was a straight forward loss of temper leading to the use of a fearsome weapon, the favourite of the knives you were obsessed by and carried around to cover up your inadequacies."

The judge said it was another example of knife crime and that a "pathetic and childish argument" had led to Ms Leach's death.