Paul Wagland murder: Woman who killed 'charismatic' and 'loving' grandad given life sentence

A Bristol woman who stabbed her partner to death after a drunken row has been sentenced to life in prison.

Sonja Blenkiron, 41, was found guilty of murdering Paul Wagland, 52, in the kitchen of her flat as he "cried" and apologised to her.

At her trial, Blenkiron claimed that Paul attacked her and she had acted in self-defence.

However, after hearing the evidence gathered by police, including accounts from neighbours who heard what happened, the jury rejected her version of events.

They unanimously found her guilty of murder at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 11 August.

'A real family man'

The court heard statements from Mr Wagland's family at Blenkiron's sentencing on Monday 14 August.

Sarah Wagland, Paul's wife, said they fell in love as teens and that "Wag" adored his children and grandchildren.

She added that he was a real family man and when she heard he had died, her heart sank.

She still couldn't believe he had been killed and couldn't stop shaking.

Mrs Wagland said keeps thinking of the sound her children made when they heard their dad was dead. And she recalled her grandchildren's tears when they were told.

She said she doesn't sleep anymore and keeps wondering what his last words were.

Mrs Wagland said she loved him for so many years and couldn't believe the man she saw when she identified his body.

She now lives with anxiety. "It feels like I can't find the joy in anything anymore," she said.

She thinks ahead to the future and that missing place at the table at Christmas and birthdays.

Mrs Wagland added she can never forgive the woman who took Paul away.

'A loving grandad'

Mr Wagland's eldest daughter also provided a statement at court today.

She said she felt "sick to the stomach" when thinking about how he died.

When she was told about her father's death, her "heartfelt it was going to beat out of [her] chest".

She said Paul, a loving grandad, was gone and her children were left worrying someone else would die.

"He was a fun, happy-go-lucky man", she said.

Whenever she picks up a knife she thinks about how her dad was taken from her.

She says no man now will ask her dad for permission to marry her and her dad won't walk her down the aisle.

She feels so heartbroken her dad is gone and feels "immense guilt" she wasn't able to say goodbye and tell him how much she loved him.

"You not only took his life but she took all of ours," she told Blenkiron.

Mr Wagland's sister, Claire, described him as "beautiful and charismatic", while his son, James, said he felt like he was "stuck in an eternal nightmare, playing on repeat".

Sonja Blenkiron's defence barrister told the court she had been in "freefall" after her daughter was removed from her, which caused her low mood and stress for which she had sought medical attention.

The court heard she that had expressed remorse for the impact of her actions, both on Paul's family as well as her own.

Background to the case

During the trial, the court heard how, after stabbing her partner of a year in the kitchen of her flat, Blenkiron changed her clothes and visited a friend before later returning and calling 999.

A forensic examination of her bathroom suggested she had attempted to wash away blood in the sink before officers arrived and arrested her.

During the investigation, detectives spoke to a number of Blenkiron’s neighbours.

They described her as someone who was “confrontational and provocative” and who could often be heard shouting at 52-year-old Mr Wagland.

Police had been called to Blenkiron’s address on Gatcombe Road in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol in the months preceding Mr Wagland’s death and magistrates subsequently issued a court order preventing him from being there.

On the night of Mr Wagland’s death, one of Blenkiron’s neighbours told detectives they were woken by a noise coming from her flat.

They told how they heard Mr Wagland crying before a loud thud and then complete silence, followed by Blenkiron repeatedly telling her partner to wake up.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond, the senior investigating officer, said: “It’s clear from the evidence we gathered that the relationship between Paul Wagland and Sonja Blenkiron wasn’t a healthy one.

“Blenkiron herself described the relationship in an interview as ‘toxic’ and had previously admitted to police she had once given Mr Wagland two black eyes but claimed that he had also given her one.

“While Mr Wagland is tragically not here to refute Blenkiron’s claims he abused her because of her actions on 30 January, what we can be sure of is that she certainly had a tendency to act aggressively.

“Neighbours described experiencing issues with her while and a friend of Mr Wagland also recalled an instance in which she threatened him with a glass.

“In contrast, Mr Wagland was described as a placid man who avoided confrontation.

“The jury, after hearing all the evidence, did not believe Blenkiron’s claim of self-defence and she will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars as a result.”

Judge addresses Mr Wagland's family

The judge paid tribute to Mr Wagland's family as Sonja Blenkiron was sentenced today.

He said the impact statements suggested a man they could be proud of.

She will go to prison for life and remain on licence, he said. The starting point for time to serve is 15 years.

The jury rejected she acted in self-defence, the judge said.

He concedes there was no planning and accepts some evidence of Paul using some force on her in the past - but she was often as bad as him.

The judge is satisfied she more frequently lost her temper.

The judge said both of them had been drinking at the time in question, and the fatal wound was sustained at a time when Paul was heard "crying, and saying he was sorry".

Blenkiron's concern was then for herself, the court was told, and the judge concluded she intended really serious harm.

He acknowledged her difficulties with anxiety and depression and the use of alcohol.

However, the judge said the evidence was there that she had an "incredibly short fuse with little empathy for others".

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