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'Evil' girlfriend Nicola Lee has been convicted of of stabbing her long-suffering partner to death.

Lee had already subjected Paul Taylor and other previous partners to serious acts of domestic violence, one ex neighbour describing her as "venomous and dangerous".

When she became embroiled in yet another drunken row with 45-year-old Mr Taylor at her home in March, it was not the first time she had armed herself with a knife.

A neighbour heard her repeatedly threatening to kill the dad before it went quiet after she finally carried out the threat and plunged a knife through his heart.

Lee had told jurors Mr Taylor stabbed himself at her flat in Jarrow but jurors rejected her account and found her guilty of manslaughter, clearing her of murder.

(Image: Northumbria Police)

Now the 44-year-old killer, of Thames Avenue, Jarrow, has been warned she will be jailed next week.

After the verdict, Mr Taylor's family said: "We would like to thank the legal team and Northumbria Police for all their hard work.

“We would also like to thank family, friends and Paul’s friends for their continued support - we could not have got through it without you all.

“Now it’s time for us to grieve for Paul properly and allow him to rest in peace.”

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Detective Chief Inspector Alan Cairns added: "We know that no sentence will ever make up for what happened to Paul and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time. Hopefully they can find some comfort in today's conviction.

“This was an awful attack, which resulted in Paul's death and he consequences of what happened that night will live for Paul's family for the rest of their lives."

During her trial, prosecutors said Lee had a "propensity to be violent".

And a former neighbour told the court she was "evil, vile, aggressive, angry and hateful".

“She was drunk, aggressive and argumentative on this particular night and her unlawful action led to the termination of his life by a single stab wound," Caroline Goodwin QC said.

”The defendant says Paul Taylor stabbed himself, that he was the author of his own misfortune.

”The Crown plainly and quite simply don’t accept that. We say that’s a lie in order to cover up the violent, bad-tempered assault she perpetrated."

(Image: Northumbria Police)

On March 30, Mr Taylor’s friend, Shaun Hunter, arranged to meet him and they bought lager and went to Lee’s home, where her friend was also present.

Mr Hunter “felt there was an atmosphere between the defendant and Mr Taylor”.

He left at 9.18pm but on his way to get the Metro, he got a call from Mr Taylor asking to meet him, he told his friend his "head was battered" and Mr Hunter told him stay with him but he refused.

A shop worker said earlier in the day Mr Taylor had been happy but by 9pm he appeared upset and asked for two bottles of Southern Comfort. He was crying but said he would be okay.

Margaret Mason, Lee’s upstairs neighbour said rowing was a regular feature of their relationship, and had heard a “prolonged argument” between Lee and Mr Taylor that night.

Miss Goodwin said Lee was heard shouting: “It’s my house” and repeatedly threatening: “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill you, I will f****** kill you”.

Mr Taylor was heard to shout back and Mrs Mason heard “something akin to a scuffle”, she then heard Lee shout “get out of that” and then again “I’m going to kill you”.

She then heard: “Paul, Paul.”

Lee called 999 herself, saying Mr Taylor had stabbed himself in the chest.

After being cautioned and arrested, she said: “He is the love of my life, are you for f****** real.

”I would not hurt him in a million years. He does it to himself.”

A post-mortem examination showed a single stab wound had passed through a ventricle in his heart, he also had a superficial slash injury to his cheek, a cut to his finger and two superficial wounds to the back of his head.

Miss Goodwin said there were other incidents between them - and between Lee and other men - in which the prosecution say she was the aggressor.

She told the court: “The Crown say she had acted violently in the past, not only to Paul Taylor but to others.

”She has a propensity to be violent.

“The Crown say she behaved abusively and aggressively towards partners, particularly when in drink.

“She specifically used violence towards Paul Taylor.

“She previously threatened to kill him and previously armed herself with weapons, including knives, to threaten unlawful violence.”

In 2014, Miss Goodwin said, Lee was convicted of affray, after she threatened to kill a former partner while holding a knife.

Jurors were told on another occasion, Lee threatened the ex-partner with a garden fork, poured turps on him and threatened to kill him.

Another time she repeatedly punched and bit him.

A different ex will say she "kicked off" with him after accusing him of being unfaithful and he woke up at 3am to find her punching him in the face. She went on to arm herself with a knife and he suffered cuts to his arm, it is claimed.

When he shut a door on her, she smashed it with a hammer, the court heard.

In February, a friend got a voice message from Mr Taylor and it seems he rang the wrong number.

She could heard Mr Taylor’s voice and Lee shouting: “I’m going to kill you, get out of my house. I’m glad your son is dead.”

Lee was further remanded in custody and will be sentenced next Wednesday.