Northampton: Man found guilty of murdering wife in their home

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-65403760

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Diana Dafter's body was found with multiple stab wounds

A man has been found guilty of murder after fatally stabbing his wife at their home.

Diana Dafter, 36, was found dead at a property in Lawrence Court, Northampton, last October.

Northampton Crown Court was told she had five stab wounds and 17 injuries in total.

Phillip Dafter, 32, had admitted manslaughter but a jury found him guilty of murder and he will be sentenced next month.

Earlier in the trial the jury was told Dafter attacked his wife "repeatedly" with a knife.

She had cuts on both her hands from pushing the knife away and there was a deep stab wound to her heart.

After the stabbing Dafter drove to a supermarket to purchase a new set of knives after breaking the weapon.

'Evil'

He returned to the Lower Mounts flat where Ms Dafter was dead or dying and then drank whisky and stabbed himself in the abdomen before changing his clothes.

Phillip Dafter was found guilty of murdering his wife

CCTV showed he then travelled to Northampton train station to board a service to London.

After arriving at London Euston, Dafter, who was swaying and unsteady on his feet and told a train conductor "he wanted to see the police" because he was "evil and a bad man".

The defendant, who had blood on him, then told British Transport Police officers he had killed his wife.

When Northamptonshire Police arrived at the couple's home they found Ms Dafter's body.

After the jury delivered their guilty verdict the judge said Dafter would be sentenced in May but confirmed he would face life imprisonment.

Det Ch Insp Adam Pendlebury, said it was "an extremely violent and prolonged attack that could not have come about without a very real intention to cause [Ms Dafter] serious harm".

He said Ms Dafter was "a student nurse with a real passion for care, hardworking, and someone very easy to get along with".

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