Life for Jade's killer (From Stroud News and Journal)

Life for Jade's killer

A MAN has been jailed for life after killing his teenage girlfriend with a Gurkha knife.

Richard Parsons pleaded guilty to murdering Avening teenager Jade Blundell in the living room of his family home with the knife, which had been hanging on a wall.

Jade,17, was stabbed 14 times by Parsons, 22, who told police something took control of him "as if he was possessed."

Mr Justice Stephen Silber was told how Parsons, a heavy drinker, was more than three times over the drink-driving limit at the time of the attack in St Mary's Road, Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Jade was described as having a bubbly and lively personality and the couple had been together for several months.

Don Tait, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court that on August 10 last year the pair had visited a local fair and had been drinking. They returned to Parsons' home and were lying on the sofa together watching television.

Mr Tait said Parsons' father, who shared the house, later heard Jade screaming at the top of her voice, crying out for help and saying that Parsons was killing her.He went downstairs, where he saw his son stabbing the teenager as she lay on the sofa.

Jade died despite the efforts of 999 crews to resuscitate her. Parsons said in police interviews that he could not remember getting home but recalled being in the living room and an argument developing.

He remembered seeing the knife on the wall and stabbing Jade, but could not explain why he had done it.

James Tabor QC, defending, said it was a sad and tragic case involving a couple genuinely in love, and that Parsons could not recall why he had killed Jade, his "first true love."

He said Parsons, who had suffered from depression, was insecure almost to the point of paranoia but had no history of violence towards Jade and the attack was totally out of character.

Sentencing Parsons, the judge said: "Nobody knows why you attacked Jade with this Gurkha knife and why you stabbed her so many times, thereby causing her death."