A WOMAN who killed her partner by thrusting a fragment of a broken plate into his face has been jailed for seven and a half years.

The 50-year-old victim, Paul Lavelle, bled to death in his Rock Ferry home several hours after Sarah Lewis attacked him during a drunken row and later left him alone.

He did not summon medical help though left a message on a business colleague’s phone describing the place like "a bloodbath" and saying he needed to go to hospital.

Jailing 46-year-old Lewis, who showed no emotion and who had initially denied even causing the injury, Judge David Aubrey, QC, said during this afternoon's hearing at Liverpool Crown Court: "In many respects this is a sad and tragic case.

"It was in some respects an unusual death and none one would have expected Mr Lavelle to die from that injury but die he did and you bear that responsibility for his death.

"It is asserted you are deeply sorry for that which occurred ... one is not convinced that really you show any remorse whatsoever."

Lewis had been on trial earlier this week denying both murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter - suggesting he had fallen on the plate or tried to kill himself - but after hearing the evidence of a Home Office pathologist changed her plea to guilty of manslaughter.

Judge Aubrey told Lewis, of Croxteth Avenue in Seaforth, Liverpool despite the couple having a "volatile and tempestuous relationship" for about a year Mr Lavelle had not posed a threat to her that night, May 28 last year.

The victim suffered an incised wound to his chin possibly caused when she threw the dinner plate at him and caused in a slashing motion, he said.

The plate broke into a number of fragments with sharp edges.

Judge Aubrey said: "One of those you had in your hand and you used it as a weapon and thrust it into his face around his nostrils causing a puncture wound.

"While you could not have foreseen that would cause death and that he would not seek medical attention the cause of death was blood loss due to that puncture wound to his nostril."

The judge said the court accepted that she did not intend to cause "really serious harm" to her partner but "you were in possession of that fragment of broken plate, you knew it had sharp edges and in anger and in drink you had thrust it into his face, and neither you nor he sought medical assistant or made any endeavour to stem the flow of blood.

"I am satisfied he offered no violence to you and while you were not intending to do really serious harm to him by the use of the weapon and where you struck him your intention was not far short."

The court heard that Lewis, who went to stay with her sister whom she had not seen for 15 months after punching her on the nose, found his body when she returned to the flat they shared in Old Chester Road the next morning and rang the police.

Mr Lavelle, who was three-and-a-half times the legal drink driving limit, had rung Lewis eight times after she left but she did not answer and on finding the voicemail messages the next morning deleted them.

She had also taken two photographs of him covered in blood before she had left the flat.

Moving impact statements from one of Mr Lavelle's three children and other relatives were read to the court in which they spoke of their devastating loss and grief.

Her QC Dorian Lovell-Pank said that Lewis, who admitted manslaughter on the grounds of lack of intent, wanted the victim's family and friends "to know she is deeply, deeply sorry for what she did to him and how her actions have affected his family and so many others.

"She too will have to live with what she has done for the rest of her life.

"She is not a bad woman, perhaps emotionally inadequate in some respects, in others, a hard-working and capable woman.

"And in her wildest dreams she never thought things in her life would come to this sorry pass, at the age of 46."

Detective Inspector Allison Woods said after hearing: "The sentence of Lewis today will hopefully provide some comfort to Paul's family, who continue to suffer the consequences of her actions that day.

"Lewis only chose to accept her guilt during her trial, dragging out the suffering of Paul's family and friends in the process.

"I would like to thank Paul's family for their bravery and courage during this ordeal, and assure anyone who is involved in domestic abuse to come forward and speak to people who can help the situation before it escalates.

"Domestic abuse can happen to anyone at any time regardless of gender, age and sexuality.

"It is important for people to recognise when it is happening to them and that confidential support and advice is available to those that need it."

The statement from Mr Lavelle's family read: "The Lavelle family would like to personally thank Merseyside Police and all involved for their support, compassion and hard-work shown throughout this devastating ordeal.

"May we also send a special thank you to family, friends and people who have shown an overwhelming amount of ongoing support.

"This has been a very deeply emotional time for our family and Paul's friends and we would respectfully ask that you leave us to finally remember Paul for who he was.

"Paul was very special to us all, and will never be forgotten, he will live on with us all forever."