A YOUNG woman who killed her boyfriend after she flew into a jealous rage on his birthday has been jailed for life.

Kirsty Scamp was convicted of murder by a 10-2 majority after the jury deliberated for almost four days.

The 20-year-old, of Miller Close, Kemsley, near Sittingbourne, wept as a judge told her she would have to serve a minimum of 12 years before being considered for parole.

"It seems to me that what led you to this terrible deed was anger and jealousy," said Judge Andrew Patience, QC. "I deal with you on the basis this was not a planned killing."

Maidstone Crown Court heard how Scamp, a former pupil at Westlands School, Sittingbourne, picked up a knife and stabbed 28-year-old Jason Bull once in the chest after hearing him talking to another woman on his mobile phone.

The weapon penetrated Mr Bull’s left lung and he died within minutes in the communal entrance of their High Street flat in Sheerness on March 13 last year.

After the verdict, Det Insp Paul Cordier, who led the investigation, said: "The jury have obviously been very thorough in their deliberations during the course of this case and I am pleased to see that ultimately, justice has been done.

"This has obviously been a very traumatic time for Mr Bull’s family and I hope this conviction brings them some closure and allows them to move on."

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S SITTINGBOURNE EDITION OF THE KENT MESSENGER AND THE SHEERNESS TIMES GUARDIAN