Husband murdered wife then went to Asda to buy new knives so he could stab himself

A husband who confessed to killing his wife because he was "an evil and bad man" then stabbed himself and fled has been found guilty of murder.

Phillip Dafter, 33, attacked his wife Diana at their home in Northampton on 7 October with such force that the knife broke.

He then drove to a supermarket to buy a new set of knives, stabbed himself and boarded a train to London, where he told police what he had done.

Mrs Dafter was found in a pool of blood in her kitchen in Lawrence Court after a stab wound to her chest damaged her aorta.

At Euston station in London, Dafter told the conductor he needed to speak to police.

“Why?” the conductor asked.

“Because I am evil and a bad man,” Dafter replied.

He then confessed to police that he had killed his wife.

A trial at Northampton Crown Court heard she had suffered five stab wounds and 12 more superficial injuries.

Dafter, who along with his wife was originally from Malawi, had admitted manslaughter but denied murder.

A jury took three hours to return a guilty verdict on Wednesday.

After his arrest, Dafter was placed under medical supervision and later told officers he had "flown into a rage" and stabbed his wife following an argument about getting an MOT for her car,

He claimed he had snapped because "she kept going on and on" at him.

Det Ch Insp Adam Pendlebury said: “This was an extremely violent and prolonged attack that could not have come about without a very real intention to cause Diana serious harm.

“It is important to remember Diana Dafter for who she was. And that is so much more than just Phillip Dafter’s wife. She was a loving mother, daughter and friend. A student nurse with a real passion for care, hardworking, and someone very easy to get along with.

“Though today’s verdict will be a small comfort to her family and those who loved her, I hope it will help to know that Phillip Dafter is now facing an exceptionally long stretch in prison for what he has done."

The trial heard Dafter had given varying accounts to different professionals, from claiming it was a row over an MOT to hearing “voices in his head” telling him to “end it”.

A British Transport Police officer told the court that while he was guarding Dafter in hospital he heard the defendant say to a nurse: "She was bossing me for years.

"It just got too much. I lost it... I wanted to."

Clothing stained with blood was found in a black bin liner at the couple's home.

A set of knives purchased from a supermarket on the day Mrs Dafter died were also recovered.

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