A man has today been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend by slitting her throat in the street in Swanley Village.

Adam Whelehan, 23, hatched a plot to kill Natalie Jarvis - whom he believed to be pregnant - because he saw it as the only way of ending their relationship.

He will be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court tomorrow for killing 23-year-old Natalie, pictured right.

A jury this afternoon convicted him of murder - and acquitted his friend Thomas Fuller, also 23, of the same charge.

Jurors returned a unanimous verdict on Whelehan to a hushed court after deliberating for just under five hours.

Whelehan sat with his head down, appearing shocked, while Fuller looked pale. Fuller was told he would be released from the cells.

Judge Philip Statman said of Whelehan: "I am satisfied there was an intention to kill, rather than cause serious bodily harm and there was clear premeditation."

Prosecutor Ian Acheson said the starting point for Whelehan's sentence will be 25 years' imprisonment.

As Mr Fuller left court with friends, including his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Kinchlea, he was asked if he wanted to comment but simply shook his head.

He stood in the car park for a few minutes before getting into the front passenger seat of a car and being driven away.

Whelehan and Fuller were jointly accused of murdering Natalie on October 3 last year.

Maidstone Crown Court heard during a three-week trial that Whelehan collected Natalie from her Swanley home at about 10.30pm and drove her to Button Street.

Fuller was hiding in the boot of the Renault Clio. Having pulled up in a quiet area, Natalie - who was wearing pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers - got out of the car and walked off down the road with Whelehan.

Apprentice BT engineer Whelehan then slit her throat and lefther to die.

"i am satisfied there was an intention to kill, rather than cause serious bodily harm and there was clear premeditation..." – judge philip statman

Natalie suffered more than 20 knife wounds to her neck, as well as defensive injuries.

Whelehan had accepted he killed Natalie, but claimed he acted in lawful self-defence.

He claimed she repeatedly lunged at him with a multi-tool he used for work before grabbing it from her.

Kwame Inyundo, defending, said in mitigation that Whelehan had for most of his life been of positive good character, coming from a good family and doing well at school.

After working at Morrison's supermarket, he became a BT engineer and was trusted to work in people's homes.

"Things changed for him in July and August 2012 as a result of his relationship with Miss Jarvis - the circumstances he was under, the pressure and distress," he said.

"It impacted on him in the summer of last year. He became a changed man as a result of what happened in his personal life."

Floral tributes at the spot where Natalie Jarvis was found stabbed to death in Swanley Village

DI Gavin Moss, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "What has really struck me throughout the course of this investigation is the complete dignity the family have displayed and I would like to publicly pay tribute to them and the strength that they have shown.

"A daughter and a sister was cruelly taken from them last October in such tragic circumstances, yet they have assisted our investigation massively, and helped us reach today's result.

"Natalie was a young, popular girl, with many happy years and experiences to look forward to with her family and friends; Adam Whelehan stole that from her. Whelehan is a young man, but will be spending the rest of his youth exactly where he deserves to be – in prison."

Earlier, Whelehan described himself as "scared and shocked", adding: "I don't remember striking her at any stage. I was scared. I was trying to get her off me. I was struggling. I don't know what happened then."

He denied intending to kill Natalie or cause her any harm. "I was fighting for my life," he added.

Fuller was alleged to have "encouraged and played a part" in his friend's plan by acting as support or back-up.

He told the court he was only hiding in the boot in an attempt to overhear Natalie making derogatory comments about himself and his late father.

During the days before the alleged murder, the prosecution said there were numerous "cruel and hurtful" Twitter and text messages about Natalie.

Whelehan, of Roseberry Avenue, Sidcup, and Fuller, of Oakley Drive, Eltham, nicknamed her JC, in reference to her looking like comedian and actor James Corden.

Police cordon off a road in Swanley Village after Natalie Jarvis died

By September, Whelehan was telling people he intended to kill her and - just four days before Natalie died - Fuller texted his friend: "Are you still going to do her over? Really how you going to do it? About time you do something about it. It is eating you up. Yeah mate, I am with you every step of the way. You know that."

On October 2, Whelehan told Fuller in another text: "I couldn't find the place I wanted to do it and kept driving around. Had my knife ready and everything man."

Fuller told the jury of seven men and five women he never took any of the remarks seriously. "I have known Adam since I was five years old and I have never seen him violent," he said. "I just thought he was trying to act like a hard man."

He added: "I just never believed Adam would do this."