Horsforth murder sentence: Depraved Carl Chadwick must serve at least 25 years in prison for sexually-motivated revenge killing of Leeds mum Sarah Keith

Carl Chadwick was today handed a life sentence after confessing to killing 26-year-old Sarah Keith at her flat in Horsforth.

Paranoid Chadwick, 35, killed Ms Keith out of jealousy after believing she had cheated on him while he was serving a prison sentence.

Leeds Crown Court heard Chadwick killed her in the early hours of April 13 this year after they had spent the day drinking.

Chadwick, who had also taken three grams of cocaine throughout the day, attacked her moments after they had sex in the living room of the flat on Broadway.

He had removed the cord from her dressing gown beforehand and used it to strangle her.

Chadwick then armed himself with a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her five times in the heart while she was still alive.

He then covered the body with a curtain and watched pornography.

Chadwick looked up train times from Leeds to Blackpool, took more cocaine, and then watched TV before going to sleep.

In the morning he got up, took out the SIM card from her phone and destroyed it.

Chadwick formed the intention of running away to Blackpool but walked into Elland Road police station later that day and confessed to what he had done.Chadwick pleaded guilty to murder but denied that the killing was sexually motivated.

He gave evidence to the court claiming he did not know why he had used the dressing gown to strangle her

Chadwick also denied any getting sexual gratification from the attack.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC rejected Chadwick's claims, describing the defendant's evidence as 'evasive and inconsistent'.

Passing sentence, he said: "As a consequence of your paranoia, you became convinced that Sarah had been unfaithful to you while you were in prison.

"Over a period of time you thought of killing her several times a week when you took cocaine.

"This was an act of revenge because of your belief that she had been unfaithful.

"You used that final act of intercourse as an act of revenge and to satisfy yourself sexually.

"She would never have consented had she known your intention.

"In that time before her death Sarah would have suffered greatly.

"You snuffed out a young life.

"This was a brutal and callous killing."

The court heard Chadwick has spent much of his adult life in prison.

He has 28 convictions for 45 offences including robbery, theft and criminal damage.