Man jailed for killing girlfriend after Facebook row

A jealous lover was jailed for life today and ordered to serve at least 22 years for killing his girlfriend after seeing her on Facebook with another man.

An Old Bailey jury took only an hour to convict Paul Bristol, 25, of murder on Friday.

Camille Mathurasingh, 27, died less than two weeks after Bristol saw her with new love Besim Haxhia.

Bristol got on a plane and flew 4,000 miles from Trinidad to England to challenge her.

He stabbed the accountant 20 times at her home in Bow, east London, before cutting himself and crashing her car last April.

Bristol, an IT technician for the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Administration, had denied murder, claiming manslaughter through provocation.

Judge Timothy Pontius told Bristol: "Clearly you were eaten up by jealousy."

Judge Pontius said Miss Mathurasingh had fought "frantically and desperately for her life".

She had done nothing to provoke Bristol but was clearly someone "who would not want in any way to hurt his feelings and was very concerned to let him down gently".

The judge said that having found out about her new relationship, he could not accept that she was not only working thousands of miles away, but that she had moved on in her life.

Judge Pontius added: "You could not accept that the life you had previously had gone.

"You were determined that no other man should replace you in her life.

"You attacked her with such repeated savagery and horrifying ferocity that it was your intention to kill her."

He said he rejected claims that Bristol had genuinely tried to commit suicide after the murder.

Judge Pontius said: "Camille Mathurasingh was a highly intelligent and ambitious young woman - beautiful and vivacious, caring and loving.

"Her death has left a huge and permanent void in the lives of a truly decent family."

Miss Mathurasingh's mother and two of her sisters held hands at the side of the court as Bristol was led away.

The trial heard that the day before she died, Miss Mathurasingh phoned her sister Nadine to say Bristol had arrived from Trinidad and she had been forced to flee the house.

She said she had driven off with Bristol chasing the car.

Her sister said: "She said she looked into her rear-view mirror. She said he looked evil."

Miss Mathurasingh had been working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Port of Spain, Trinidad, but returned to her family in London in 2008.

Simon Denison QC, prosecuting, said Miss Mathurasingh met Bristol in Trinidad during the three years she worked there.

Their relationship continued through emails and telephone calls after her return.

Mr Denison said: "In the early part of last year, when Camille was having doubts about their future together, she met a man here and started going out with him.

"It would appear she tried to bring about the end of her relationship with this defendant gently and did not tell him about her new boyfriend.

"He found out when he saw pictures of them together on Facebook.

"He would say he could not accept it was over and he decided to come here to see if he could win her back."

Miss Mathurasingh's family, including her teacher parents, described her as a "kind and gentle" person who was sometimes naive.

Miss Mathurasingh's mother Indra said after the verdict: "Justice has been served for Camille.

"She was snatched from us and we are empty without her. However, we can now try to heal our lives."