Lindsey Gabriel, pictured, murdered James Field after a day of furious arguments where she accused him of cheating

A mother who murdered her boyfriend by stabbing him in the heart after a row about him messaging other women has been jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years.

Lindsey Gabriel, 31, killed James Field after a day of furious arguments where she accused him of cheating.

The victim was found by a passer-by lying collapsed on the pavement outside Gabriel's house in Bugle, near St Austell, Cornwall, on the evening of September 28, 2018.

He had suffered a single stab wound that penetrated his ribs and went into his heart - and he died later that night.

It took a jury less than four hours to convict her of one count of murder at Truro Crown Court.

Gabriel was sentenced to life in prison and told she must serve a minimum of 14 years.



The trial heard a blood-stained kitchen knife used to stab Mr Field was found by police stuffed down a drain to the side of a suspect's property.

Prosecuting, Jo Martin told the jury how the defendant and victim had been in an on/off relationship and how, on the day Mr Field died, Gabriel sent furious text messages in which she told him he 'didn't know what she was capable of'.

She also told a friend that he had been unfaithful, adding: 'Who does he think I am Snow White or Batman? I'm Lindsey f***ing Gabriel'.

Gabriel proceeded to vandalise Mr Field's car that was parked on her drive, daubing words such as 'cheat' and 'player' on it before arranging for it to be towed away.

Gabriel accused James Field, pictured, of being unfaithful, saying to a friend: 'Who does he think I am Snow White or Batman? I'm Lindsey f***ing Gabriel'

During the trial Miss Martin played the jury a 999 call made by Gabriel where she can be heard shouting 'get out of my house' before hysterically screaming and handing the phone to her 13-year-old son.

Miss Martin described how Gabriel then went outside shouting at others that Mr Field had a knife, kicking away his rucksack as he lay motionless on the floor.

However Miss Martin added that when onlookers attempted CPR and flipped Mr Field over they could see that he didn't have a weapon on him.

Gabriel then went back inside and made a brief call to her father asking him to pick up her son before the police called back.

Miss Martin said: 'When the police called back Lindsey Gabriel told them she was upstairs and the house was insecure because Mr Field had kicked the door in. She told police he had a knife and that there was blood all over the house.

'She said James Field stabbed her and had kicked through the front door with a knife in his hand.'

Gabriel then left the phone and didn't return for three and a half minutes, during which time someone can be heard going downstairs and a door opening.

Phone calls between Gabriel, her son and the police continue and police officers told about how there was a woman (Gabriel) swearing in the house and wiping something off the floor.

Gabriel vandalised Mr Field's car, which was parked on her drive, daubing words such as 'cheat' and 'player' on it before arranging for it to be towed away (Pictured: The car belonging to Mr Field, vandalised by Gabriel)

An arriving police officer said that when he entered the property he noticed a broken door panel, bits of wood lying on the floor and blood in the hallway which was littered with toilet paper.

Miss Martin then described how the police investigation progressed from an apparent suicide to a murder investigation.

Police officers unsuccessfully searched the inside of the house in an effort to find the knife before a PC Hawkins went down the alleyway that ran down the side of the property with a dog called Rosco who is specially trained to pick up a human scent.

Miss Martin said: 'Rosco stopped and indicated a drain and inside the drain was a kitchen knife that had obvious signs of blood on it. There were no signs of blood spots to the drain from the front or back door and the knife clearly could not have been put in that drain by James Field.'

Gabriel insisted throughout her trial that Mr Field burst into her home and stabbed himself and that she had no idea how the knife, from a set in her kitchen, got into the drain.

But Miss Martin told the jury that there are a number of factors that make the prosecution sure that Gabriel was the only person responsible for causing Mr Field's death.

Gabriel insisted throughout her trial that Mr Field burst into her home and stabbed himself and that she had no idea how the knife, from a set in her kitchen, got into the drain (pictured: The knife found by police used to stab James Field)

She referred to the evidence of a pathologist who said that the depth and nature of Mr Field's wound suggested that it wasn't self-inflicted.

She said: 'There can be no doubt the knife that killed James Field came from Lindsey Gabriel's kitchen and it could have only got to the drain by Lindsey Gabriel or her son putting it there. James Field couldn't have done it because he was lying dying out front.

'Lindsey Gabriel had the time to get rid of the knife in the two and a half minutes when she left the phone upstairs and you can hear things going on downstairs.

'Neither Lindsey Gabriel or her son would have had any reason to get rid of the knife if James Field had stabbed himself.'

Miss Martin also cited the fact that Gabriel had appeared angry with Mr Field throughout the day and that she had deleted one text conversation with him, adding that she was 'hell bent on revenge'.

The judge, Mrs Justice Juliet May, commended Mr Field's family for their dignity during the trial. She said she was satisfied that Gabriel acted on spur of the moment but must have at least intended to do serious harm.

She said Gabriel's actions throughout the day were intended as leading to just the sort of confrontation that led to Mr Fields coming to her house where she stabbed him in the heart.

Speaking after the case Det Insp Stephen Hambley, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the jury had faced a challenge as Gabriel 'was unable or unwilling to help around the full circumstances of James Field's death'.

He said: 'We welcome today's verdict and recognise the challenge faced by the jury, when one considers that Lindsey Gabriel was unable or unwilling to help around the full circumstances of James Field's death.

'The taking of someone's life in such circumstances will always be exhaustively investigated by Police, and Mr. Field's death should not have occurred.. Whilst he attended Lindsey Gabriel's home following some hours of dispute and tension with her, the jury clearly consider that there was no justification as to the level of force used by Miss Gabriel.

'The families of both have been present in Court throughout trial, this must have been very difficult for them, but they have conducted themselves with dignity.'

Mr Field's family said in a statement: 'We would like to thank the police for their continued help and support throughout this investigation as we as the court counsel. We would also like the thank the members of public who came to the aid of James and attempted to help him at the scene.

'Although we can't bring back James, we will continually miss him every day.'