Woman admits killing partner

A woman who stabbed her partner from Wellington to death with a kitchen knife as he slept at their home has admitted his manslaughter.

Teresa O'Donohoe had denied murdering Nigel Sherwood, 43, at their home in Chatham in Kent.

But the 36-year-old admitted the lesser offence of manslaughter three days into her trial.

She had denied murder on the basis that her judgement was impaired because of her mental state at the time.

Judge Warwick McKinnon, sitting at Croydon Crown Court, asked for two psychiatric reports to be prepared and remanded O'Donohoe in custody until July 11 for sentencing.

He said a hospital order was a possible outcome of the case.

A jury had previously heard how O'Donohoe had gone to a neighbour's house on March 30 last year and asked them to call an ambulance after stabbing Mr Sherwood, who later died in hospital, in the main bedroom.

Paramedics, responding to the 999 call, found O'Donohoe in the bedroom trying to roll her partner over in a bid to put pressure on the stab wounds. She said she had stabbed him.

Mr Philip St John Stevens, prosecuting, told the court: "She told police: 'It was not premeditated but I meant to do it. I got a knife and went upstairs. I have been thinking about it for months.'"