A jury has been discharged after a Chatham woman pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her partner who was stabbed with a kitchen knife.

Teresa O'Donohue, 36, was accused of the murder of partner Nigel Sherwood, 43, at their home in Dagmar Road, Chatham.

A jury at Croydon Crown Court was asked to decide if she was mentally unstable when she stabbed him with a kitchen knife but she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will be sentenced on July 11.

When police arrived at their house on March 30, she immediately owned up to the fatal attack and had gone to a neighbour's house to ask for an ambulance.

She had also told them that she wanted him dead. Their relationship was described as 'mutually abusive.

Judge Warwick McKinnon asked for two psychiatric reports to be prepared and she will remain in custody until the next hearing.

Although admitting she had attacked her partner as he slept, she had pleaded not guilty to murder on the basis that her judgement was impaired because of her mental state at the time.

The judge said a hospital order was a possible outcome of the case.