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Doorman is guilty of murdering ex Doorman is guilty of murdering ex
(31 minutes later)
A doorman has been found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend, who was 28 years younger.A doorman has been found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend, who was 28 years younger.
Phillip Packer, 50, drove Jenna Thomas' body to his local police station in Porthcawl, south Wales after strangling her June 2009.Phillip Packer, 50, drove Jenna Thomas' body to his local police station in Porthcawl, south Wales after strangling her June 2009.
Cardiff Crown Court was told that father-of-two Packer refused to accept that their relationship had ended.Cardiff Crown Court was told that father-of-two Packer refused to accept that their relationship had ended.
The jury retired for just over three hours before finding Packer guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on Monday.The jury retired for just over three hours before finding Packer guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on Monday.
During the two week trial, the court heard that 21-year-old Ms Thomas was a student nurse when she suddenly quit her course to work as a barmaid in a club in the seaside town of Porthcawl, where the defendant was a doorman.
She was described by the prosecution as an ""attractive, intelligent, confident, fun-loving girl" who left school with 11 GCSEs.
The jury heard that there had been surprise when the relationship between her and Packer began, because of the huge difference in age.
"Jenna was then 19 and Packer was 47. Not surprisingly, her parents disapproved of their relationship," said prosecutor Peter Griffiths QC.
"Packer's marriage broke up and Jenna and he then began living together in a flat on the seafront esplanade.
Mr Griffiths said there was a "gradual deterioration" in the couple's relationship during 2008 with Mr Packer becoming "more controlling".
Philip Packer had become "obsessed" with his victim, it was claimed
Mr Griffiths said: "She moved back into her family home in May 2009 but, in Packer's mind, he refused to move on.
"He would not accept the finality of the break-up. He would not let her go."
The court heard that Packer became jealous when Ms Thomas met a new man, Ian Walters, and had confronted her.
Mr Griffiths said: "Packer deliberately strangled Jenna because of her refusal to restart their relationship and because she wanted to get on with her new life and her new relationship."
The court heard that the defendant strangled Ms Thomas in his Volkswagen Bora car and then drove to Porthcawl police station.
There he told officers "we have argued and argued all day and I strangled her".
Descent into depression
Packer's defence team had claimed that he was not responsible for his actions at the time of the killing and had been suffering from clinical depression.
Psychiatrist Dr Robert Reeves told the court that Packer was a workaholic depressed at losing his job when Ms Thomas left him.
The defence witness said it was a sign of Ms Thomas's "niceness and kindness" that she continued to see Mr Packer but repeatedly raising and dashing his hopes had been highly stressful.
"Mr Packer's increasing descent into depression and Jenna's inability to make a clean break were the seeds of this tragedy," he added.
But a prosecution expert challenged that view, arguing that he would not have been able to continue with his work as a nightclub doorman and to keep up his exercise regime after Ms Thomas left.
It was claimed that rather than being depressed, Packer was "obsessed" with his victim.