'A brutal, sustained, ferocious attack': killer of Cardiff Bay grandmother jailed

A woman who moved into a luxury Cardiff Bay flat was killed by her neighbour in what her son dubbed a "brutal and senseless" killing.

Company director Christine James, 65, had her throat cut by Kris Wade, 37, hours before she was due to fly to Florida on a family holiday. Today he was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years.

She was found after her pilot son raised the alarm when she failed to catch her British Airways flight to Florida.

Mrs James - the mother-in-law of former Wales rugby captain and current Scotland coach Jonathan Humphreys - was due to meet up with her family in Gatwick airport London to jet off.

Her body was found when officers called at her fourth-floor exclusive apartment in Cardiff Bay to find her body in a pool of blood.

Mrs James had started a new life just three months before her killing. She had parted from her husband Stuart after more than 30 years married to move into a waterside apartment in Century Wharf, Cardiff Bay, South Wales, and bought a new BMW.

But the 5ft 4in grandmother was killed by burly 6ft 1in Kris Wade who lived in the flat above hers in the block.

Her pilot son Jason described her killing as "brutal and senseless" after she had started a new life after leaving her £950,000 luxury home when her marriage split.

Cardiff Crown Court heard police were baffled by the killing and initially arrested her estranged husband. Mrs James had previously lodged a compliant against him with police.

But loner Wade was arrested after other neighbours in Dubrovnik House reported strange activity.

The court heard a neighbour had seen Wade through a door spyhole carrying two black bin bags. The neighbour decided to follow him down in the lift to the basement but then left when he heard sobbing.

Wade sat emotionless and unmoved as he was jailed.