Man Who Brutally Stabbed Ex-Girlfriend To Death When Their Three Children Were At Home Sentenced To Life

A U.K. man who stabbed his former girlfriend 17 times in a "ferocious" attack while their three children were at home was sentenced to life in prison.

Alex Staines, 31, of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, murdered Christie Frewin, 25, at her home in Lady Grove on January 27 in a jealous rage after the man saw her with a male friend, the Hertfordshire Mercury reported.

Staines and Frewin had ended their relationship in 2018 after dating for five years but the former continued to harass Frewin and on one occasion even threatened to kill her and their three children, BBC reported.

Frewin was provided with an emergency safe mobile phone to alert authorities in case she sensed risk from Staines. He was out on a bail in January for an earlier assault on Frewin.

Staines had pleaded guilty to the murder charge in an earlier hearing. "Christie was very young when you met and over the years you exercised coercive abuse and control over her," St Albans Crown Court judge Michael Kay told Staines before handing him the life sentence. During Staines’ sentencing, judge Kay said it wasn’t clear if the children witnessed their mother being killed but they likely heard her screams.

The ages of the children weren't revealed.

Frewin visited Staines’ home the day before the murder to collect her two children but the latter refused to turn them over to her, according to the report by Hertfordshire Mercury. Staines arrived at Frewin’s residence the next morning armed with a kitchen knife along with the two children and attacked her. "In those six minutes the defendant had attacked Christie Frewin with a kitchen knife he had brought and inflicted injuries that proved fatal," prosecuting attorney Martin Mulgrew said during the hearing.

After the murder, Staines left the residence covered in blood and reportedly called his father to confess that he killed Frewin, but didn’t mention that the children were left all alone and to fend for themselves.

When someone concerned for Frewin’s welfare called the residence, one of her children picked up the phone and told them that Frewin was stabbed by their father and was lying unresponsive on the living room floor. That person then notified the authorities.

A post mortem report said Frewin suffered 17 stabbing wounds. Staines turned himself in the next morning and the murder weapon was recovered from his vehicle. Staines faces a minimum of 22 years and 58 days in prison.