Cage fighter, 37, is found guilty of murdering ex girlfriend, 32
Cage fighter, 37, is found guilty of murdering his beautician ex girlfriend, 32, by stabbing her to death in her bedroom in row over her sex life after he accused her of being an escort
- Andrew Wadsworth, 37, was found guilty of murdering Melissa Belshaw today
- The cage fighter stabbed the 32-year-old beautician to death on May 20
- A jury found him guilty of murder at Manchester Crown Court this afternoon
- He was also found guilty in the same trial of trying to murder a man in the street
A cage fighter has been found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend after stabbing her to death after he accused her of being an escort.
Andrew Wadsworth attacked his partner Melissa Belshaw in the front bedroom of her home in Billinge, Wigan.
The 37-year-old stabbed the 32-year-old beautician to death on the afternoon of May 20.
Wadsworth, 37, (pictured) stabbed Ms Belshaw to death in a ‘prolonged, remorseless attack’ in the front bedroom of her home in Billinge, Wigan
Wadsworth attacked his partner Melissa Belshaw (pictured) in May
A jury found him guilty of murder following a two day deliberation at Manchester Crown Court.
Wadsworth was also found guilty of attempting to murder a man in the street.
But a jury found him not guilty of threatening to kill Ms Belshaw’s 13-year-old daughter by putting a knife to her throat in the aftermath of her mother’s death and threatening to kill her.
The cage-fighter had admitted killing Ms Belshaw, but denied murdering her.
During the case, the court heard Wadsworth had ‘strong suspicions’ about Ms Belshaw’s sexual activities.
Giving evidence he claimed she admitted she had worked as a sex worker while they were together.
Forensic officers at the home of Ms Belshaw, where she was found dead by police after the attack on May 20
He said: ‘She told me that she had not given up escorting and was always doing it on some level.
He told the court he felt ‘humiliated and betrayed’ after she made the revelations and admitted he ‘lost control.’
But prosecutors described the sex worker claims were ‘no more than recycled accusations’.
They told jurors Wadsworth had a ‘deep resentment’ towards his former partner and had invented the claims to ‘shift blame’.
When asked about threatening her daughter, Wadsworth denied Ms Belshaw’s daughter came into the room during the attack, but said ‘she came in immediately after’.
He previously told the court: ‘She never saw Melissa being stabbed, she did unfortunately see her mum lifeless when she opened that door.’
Asked if he threatened the child, he said: ‘Definitely not. Very low blow, that.’
He also said he got into professional cage fighting at the age of 19 after attending wrestling gyms earlier in his teenage years, but quit following an injury in 2008.
Today Mrs Justice Yip told Wadsworth to expect a life sentence.
