Kilmarnock man jailed for life for killing his partner

A man who murdered his partner by stabbing her 11 times in a frenzied attack was yesterday jailed for life.

David Payne, 51, from Kilmarnock, knifed Alexis Flynn, 42, because he thought she was having an affair.

During a 999 call cowardly Payne initially claimed Miss Flynn had attacked him with a knife and he had only stabbed her two or three times.

When police arrived, callous Payne was smoking a cigarette and drinking a can of beer.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Payne was ordered to serve at least 14 and a half years behind bars before he can apply for parole.

At the time of the offence Payne was barred by a court order from approaching Miss Flynn after an alleged assault on her.

Judge Lord Burns told Payne said: “You have accepted responsibility not only for the death of your partner Alexis Flynn but also murdering her.

“It appears that the assault was a sustained one with a knife and she was found with a total of 11 stab wounds on various parts of her body inflicted with a substantial sized knife.

“The assault must have been prolonged, it's somewhat chilling you were found in the circumstances that you were found, apparently calm, smoking a cigarette, drinking a can of beer.”

The court heard around 10.20pm Payne phoned 999 and said his partner was dead.

Advocate depute Liam Ewing said: “He went on to tell the call handler that the deceased was lying on the living room floor having stabbed herself multiple times on her side, stomach and back.

“He stated that she attacked him with a knife, that he had turned it back on her and the knife when in to her two or three times.”

When police arrived at the house Miss Flynn was lying on the floor with “obvious stab wounds over her stomach and back”, she was in the foetal position with a large silver kitchen knife in her right hand.

Mr Ewing added: “Payne was sitting on a couch next to the deceased, he was smoking a cigarette and drinking from a can of beer.”

There was blood staining in different parts of the living room and hallway.

Forensic investigations suggested there had been a struggle into the hall area and an attempt to get to the front door, and blood found on the kitchen taps.

Officers took the knife out of Miss Flynn's hand and started CPR but saw she had been dead for some time.

Payne told officers “she stabbed herself”. He was taken to the police office with them.

During his police interview the following day Payne, who has previous convictions for domestic assault and breach of the peace on his ex wife, claimed Miss Flynn was attacked by a neighbour.

Mr Ewing said a post mortem revealed Miss Flynn died of a stab wound to the leg that damaged large blood vessels that “would have caused rapid and profuse blood loss and death”.

There were other stab wounds to her body including her torso, arms and left thigh, and her lungs were damaged.

The court heard the injuries to her lungs, stomach and kidney were “potentially survivable” but the stab wound on the left thigh was “catastrophic”.

Injuries around her arms were said to be defensive injuries.

Defence counsel Kevin McCallum said the catalyst was Payne's “perceived relationship, as he saw it, between the deceased and a third party”.

He said that person had been with them earlier and all three had argued although it had died down when the unnamed person left.

Mr McCallum added: “The argument between him and the deceased flared up again, the same subject matter.”

It was claimed Miss Flynn got the knife from the kitchen and Payne took it from her and used it on her.