Man tied girlfriend to bed and killed her with knife

A MAN has been jailed for life with a minimum of 26 years after “mercilessly” stabbing his younger girlfriend to death while she was tied up on a bed.

Jason Farrell, 49, attacked 22-year-old Sammy-Lee Lodwig at his flat with a knife then confessed he had “sliced her up” after an argument.

Swansea Crown Court was told that Farrell planned the “savage and brutal attack” on Miss Lodwig at his home in Swansea because he had become “tired” of their relationship.

Judge Mr Justice Lewis said: “Whilst there were arguments between you, I am sure you were not provoked to any real extent. You had tired of the relationship, tired of arguing, and wanted to get rid of Sammy-Lee, and you did by killing her.”

The judge said Miss Lodwig would have been “terrified” after Farrell gagged her with a dressing gown belt and told her he was going to kill her, before stabbing her three times in the neck and five times in the chest.

Mr Justice Lewis said: “You made sure she would not scream and that it was a slow death. It was a savage and brutal attack that resulted in death of a young woman.

“You decided to kill SammyLee. You gagged her, you told her you were going to kill her, you picked up a large kitchen knife and repeatedly stabbed her.

“This was a savage and brutal attack that must have caused real suffering to her before her death. She must have been terrified as she tried to ward off blows with the knife. She must have been aware of her injuries before she died.”

The court was told Farrell began a relationship with Miss Lodwig around November 2018, but had known her since she was four, having been in a relationship with her mother, Sarah.

Farrell was also found guilty of a “brutal attack” a suspected love rival Christopher Maher days before the murder. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be served concurrently.

He denied murdering Miss Lodwig and said he had been provoked, despite writing a “chilling” confession to police after his arrest.

Following the sentencing, Miss Lodwig’s family said in a statement: “Sammy Lee’s life was cut way too short and she will be sorely missed by all her family and friends. She was her mother’s angel, her father’s little Bam Bam and her sister’s Baby Pocket Rocket.”