A love-triangle ended in murder after a woman sent her violent ex-lover a photo of her performing a sex act on another man.

Prosecutors said Sarah Bramley, 29, enjoyed "the drama and attention of the situation" of two men - David Saunders and Michael Lawson - competing for her.

Saunders was incensed by the photo and chased down Mr Lawson before fatally stabbing him in the heart last July in Darlington.

The pregnant mother-of-two has been jailed for four months after she admitted encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence.

It comes after Saunders admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22-and-a-half years in December.


Bramley's lawyer argued that she had "lost her moral compass".

She entered a guilty plea on the basis that she thought Saunders would assault but not kill Mr Lawson.

However, in the early hours of 1 July last year, shortly after receiving the photo, Saunders stabbed father-of-one Mr Lawson.

Bramley knew Saunders to be violent and had taken out a non-molestation order, often sought by a victim of domestic abuse against their abuser.

The murder was the culmination of a "love rivalry" with Bramley in the middle, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The court heard Bramley had been in "an on-off relationship with both men over a period of months".

Text messages between her and Saunders "revealed a love-hate relationship involving sexually explicit messages of love mixed with highly offensive personal abuse", Nick Dry, prosecuting, said.

Mr Dry said she declared her love to Saunders before telling him she had recently slept with Mr Lawson, who the lawyers described as a "kind, mild-mannered man".

Both Bramley and Saunders had been drinking as they texted unpleasant messages into the early hours, with Saunders threatening to go round to attack Mr Lawson.

Saunders then sent a video of them having sex to one of Bramley's friends, who was with her at the time.

In turn, she sent him a photo of herself performing oral sex on Mr Lawson taken that night.

Bramley proceeded to ask Mr Lawson to leave her house and texted Saunders at around 3.30am that his rival was outside and "feel free to smack the c***".

Enraged by the photo, Saunders travelled to Bramley's home, chased down the victim and stabbed him.

Bramley, who told police she made Mr Lawson leave because she feared what would happen if Saunders came to her house, left for Australia days after the attack.

She was arrested on her return to the UK in March.

Robert Newcombe, defending, said: "Ms Bramley had lost her moral compass at the time she was affected by substance abuse and alcoholism."

He made an apology on her behalf to the court and to Mr Lawson's family, who sat in the public gallery.