Playstation row murderer jailed

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A 62-year-old man who stabbed his partner to death in front of their son has been jailed for life.

Malcolm Palmer, from Lincolnshire, admitted murder and was told he would serve at least 14 years in prison.

The defence told Lincoln Crown Court that Carol Cannom, 46, became obsessed with playing Playstation games as the couple's relationship deteriorated.

Palmer was also said to have believed she was having an affair although this was not the case, the court heard.

Police officers said it was a tragic case which had shattered a family.

Played into night

Ms Cannom - who had been with Palmer for 30 years - was repeatedly stabbed with a combination of a dinner knife and a folding lock knife in November 2008.

The court heard she suffered about 30 knife wounds to her face, chest and legs.

When she shouted at her 10-year-old son to dial 999, Palmer told her she would never see him again as he continued with the attack.

The relationship deteriorated when they moved to a smaller house and Palmer, of Windsor Gardens, Long Sutton, became convinced Ms Cannom was having an affair, the court heard.

Playing on the Playstation a lot was just a release, a bit of escapism, neither of them were happy by that time Claire Scott, daughter

In the months leading up to the murder, Palmer was forced out of the couple's bedroom and forced to spend hours in the cold conservatory watching a portable television while his partner played games on the Playstation in the warm.

The court was told the victim had become hooked on her son's games console and would often be on it until the early hours of the morning.

In a statement given outside court, their daughter, Claire Scott, said their relationship suffered when they moved from their smallholding to a smaller house in Lincolnshire.

"Their mortgage was paid and they didn't need to work. They had a lot of time on their hands and little chance to get away from each other.

"And playing on the Playstation a lot was just a release, a bit of escapism, neither of them were happy by that time."

Det Insp Phil Denison said that it was a "double tragedy".

"The sentence quite properly reflects the seriousness of the offence and the very early guilty plea which saves further trauma for the family," he said.

Judge Michael Heath said the couple's relationship was under strain and that Palmer thought it was "because your partner became addicted to playing on a Playstation, sometimes staying up until four or five in the morning.

"You felt rejected and unwanted as you were asked to leave the home that you shared with her."

But he added that the ferocity of the attack on Ms Cannom had been an "aggravating feature".