Overview

• Stephen Lawton, 45, testified that he picked up a bedside knife and stabbed Michelle Egge-Bailey during a drink-fuelled row at their Cottingley flat.
• He described taunts about his deceased parents, said he felt dizzy and shaking, and claimed he realised she was dead immediately after the attack.
• He told the court he covered her face with a pillow, washed and returned the knife to a drawer, withdrew cash, messaged a friend, went to a pub, then drank until he slept on the sofa.
• Prosecutors said the victim had previously told police he was making her life hell and warned he would kill her, which he rejects while denying any prior violence.
• Testimony outlined heavy drinking by both, a police breath test and arrest for suspected drink-driving the day before, and stab wounds to her neck and an arm.