Undated handout photo issued by Police Scotland of Katy Rourke. Gary Stevenson has admitted murdering his flatmate after claiming she refused to have sex with him. Police Scotland/PA Wire

A man has admitted murdering his flatmate after claiming she refused to have sex with him.

Gary Stevenson, 27, stabbed 25-year-old Katy Rourke at the flat they shared in Govan, Glasgow, in December last year after the pair had been drinking.

The High Court in Glasgow heard they had sex after drinking vodka together but when Ms Rourke, originally from Broughty Ferry near Dundee, refused to have sex again, he attacked her with a knife.

Prosecutors described Ms Rourke as a young woman "with every expectation of a bright future ahead of her", and said her parents and sisters had been devastated by her murder.

Stevenson admitted the crime after travelling to North Berwick, East Lothian, and attempting to take his own life.

He later told police he needed to face up to what he did and "give Katy's family justice".

Relatives sobbed in court as Judge Lady Rae heard Stevenson had drunk a half bottle of Buckfast before sharing a bottle of vodka with his flatmate on the night of December 29.

They had sex in her bedroom but when he returned later and asked if she wanted to have sex again she refused, saying that she had work in the morning, the court heard.

Stevenson started punching her before getting a knife from the kitchen and stabbing her three times.

He told investigators: "I lost control. I didn't think about the consequence of my actions. Once it started it just took off.

"She started kicking and stuff so I started punching her in the face.

"I tried to stop her moving but then she started shouting for help and stuff.

"I went into the kitchen to get a knife."

The court heard he later left the flat intending to take his own life and wrote a note saying he wanted to be cremated.

He travelled to Falkirk and then on to North Berwick, where he called police and told an operator he had slashed his wrists.

He was seen by medics at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary before officers drove him back to Glasgow.

A post-mortem examination revealed a stab wound to Ms Rourke's chest had gone through her heart and she had suffered bruising, cuts and blunt force trauma to the head and face.

Detective Inspector Margaret-Ann May, a senior investigating officer in the case, said what her family had endured in the months since her killing was "incomprehensible".

She said: "I must thank them for their strength and courage during this very difficult time.

"This was a very distressing case culminating in the death of a bright, popular young woman with her whole life ahead of her.

"A diligent and through investigation by the major investigation team lead to Gary Stevenson admitting his guilt today, and I am glad that this has spared the family the trauma of a trial.

"My thoughts are with the family."

Lady Rae continued the case to May 9 in order to get background reports.

Belfast Telegraph