Man jailed for murdering partner after affair claim

A man murdered his partner in a "malevolent" attack after accusing her of having an affair with one of his sons.

Colin Kennedy, 63, was jailed for life after being found guilty of the "frenzied" killing of Catherine Stewart at their home in North Lanarkshire.

One of their daughters came downstairs to find him stabbing the cancer survivor on 4 July 2021 in Airdrie.

Kennedy, of Kirkliston, Edinburgh, claimed he was mentally ill at the time but prosecutors argued that the killing was "driven by anger and rage".

At the High Court in Glasgow Lord Arthurson told Kennedy: "This was not just a sustained episode of frenzied, instrumental violence.

"This was a cowardly attack of malevolent and wholly murderous butchery perpetrated on your partner."

Kennedy had become convinced the 54 year-old had been cheating on him with Colin Llewellyn - his son from a previous relationship.

He warned that he was going to "kill" his partner of 35 years.

Jurors heard how the couple's relationship had deteriorated in the run-up to the killing.

Kennedy - nicknamed Coddy - had a total of seven children including two daughters and a son with Catherine.

He possessed the "unshakeable" view his partner was seeing her step-son Colin Llewellyn, 45 - who stayed in Liverpool - behind his back.

This included him making a "secret clandestine recording" of a phone call between the pair that was played during the trial.

At one stage, Catherine stated: "He is accusing me of something I have not done."

The grandmother instead claimed it was Kennedy who was previously guilty of infidelity.

Kennedy later met their son - also Colin - and told him: "I am going to kill your mum."

On the morning of the attack, the couple's youngest daughter was upstairs when she heard Catherine shouting" Get off me".

The daughter - aged 17 at the time - told police that she saw her mother lying in a pool of blood and tried to pull him away from Catherine.

Detectives praised her for her bravery in trying to prevent what happened.

Kennedy was soon arrested and confessed that he had stabbed Catherine, saying he "just kept hitting her".

At the trial, he did not deny the killing, but had lodged a special defence of diminished responsibility.

In his closing speech, prosecutor John McElroy KC said Kennedy was guilty of a "pre-meditated" killing.

He told jurors: "The Crown position is that this was murder, plain and simple. It was driven by anger and rage. His life, as he knew it, was coming to an end.

"He was suffering from stress, his partner wanted him out. The relationship had effectively come to an end.

"He was a jealous, angry and unhappy man."

First offender Kennedy was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars.