A jealous and controlling man who killed his girlfriend in front of her young child has been jailed.

Lloyd Byfield, 49, who murdered Walthamstow mum Leighann Duffy in her home, last year, has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison.

Byfield smashed his way into Miss Duffy’s home in Hatherley Road before using a knife and hammer to inflict blows in an unprovoked and senseless attack on September 1, 2014.

 

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Leighann Duffy was stabbed in her home in Walthamstow on September 1, 2014

 

Today, he was jailed at the Old Bailey for 26 years and six months, after pleading guilty to murder in March.

Police were called to the flat in Hatherley House to reports of a stabbing, shortly after 3pm.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found Leighann Duffy suffering from stab wounds to her arm and neck.

She was taken by London Air Ambulance to an east London hospital where she died two days later.

The cause of death was given as a stab wound to the neck, after a post-mortem.

A six-year-old child at the address received treatment at the scene for an assault related injury and did not attend hospital.

The two weapons used by Byfield in this attack, a claw hammer and a large red handled kitchen knife, as well as a homemade sheaf, were recovered at the scene by detectives.

Byfield was arrested on September 17, 2014 in Walthamstow High Street after he stopped a PCSO and admitted he was wanted by police.

Prior to his subsequent arrest, Byfield told the PCSO that "the devil came into his head" during the attack and that "there was no point in hiding" from police.

Despite this apparent confession Byfield went on to give a “no comment” interview.

Forensic evidence at the scene, phone records and witness accounts provided overwhelming evidence of his guilt, police said.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Lloyd Byfield killed Leighann Duffy in front of her child in Walthamstow

DCI Glen Lloyd, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command led the investigation into Leighann Duffy's murder. He said: "This was a despicable attack on a woman at home with her young child - a place where she was entitled to feel safe.

“Byfield has shown callous and murderous intent by forcing his way in and then proceeding to inflict fatal injuries on Leighann Duffy in a pre-planned attack. Byfield was motivated by jealously as he had previously wished to pursue a relationship with Duffy.

“I can only hope today's sentence goes some small way to helping her family recover from what has been a horrendous ordeal."