A 25-year-old man has today been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of stabbing his partner to death in Clayton-le-Moors.

David Fielding, of Lynthorpe Road, Blackburn was convicted of murdering James Todd at Preston Crown Court.

He will serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars before being eligible to apply for parole.

At around 12.15pm on Monday, September 27 last year, police were called to Rutland Close where they discovered Mr Todd’s badly decomposed body.

A post-mortem examination revealed the 27-year-old, who was from Clayton-le-Moors, died as a result of a single stab wound to the heart.

It is believed his body had been at the property for a period of time and that he had in fact been killed around three weeks earlier.

Detective Superintendent Neil Hunter, who led the investigation, said he was pleased for James' family following the guilty verdict.

He said: "This was an incredibly tragic case. James was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. It was made all the more upsetting given the fact that his body lay undiscovered for a number of weeks.

"James and his partner David Fielding shared a tempestuous relationship punctuated with episodes of violence of which James was invariably the victim and this wasn’t the first time Fielding had taken a knife to James.

"Let’s not forget that Fielding wanted people to believe that James was a person who he had previously been affectionate towards. Fielding’s attempts to hoodwink the jury failed miserably and I am pleased that they saw through his efforts to escape being brought to justice."

He added: "Immediately after the offence Fielding showed his true colours, disappearing off to Kent to visit a relative and then visiting the Lake District and Birmingham, whilst no doubt planning and inventing a story in an effort to excuse his wicked, fatal and violent attack.

He also used James’ cash card and phone after the killing and quite remarkably he even returned to the flat to recover a computer whilst James was still lying dead in the bedroom. Fielding even closed James’ Facebook account down in a despicable attempt to cover his tracks."

Of the case DS Hunter said: "This was one of the most demanding scenes I have ever had to manage due to the decomposition of the body. It took the scientific support department, Crime Scene Investigators and forensic scientists three days to complete the examination of the scene.

"There was clear evidence that Fielding had attempted to clean up in an effort to cover his tracks but he failed miserably. I have nothing but admiration for the work they did in the most difficult and unpleasant of circumstances."

He added: "Nothing will ever bring James back and our thoughts today are with his family at this difficult time. I hope the fact that the person responsible for killing James has been brought to justice brings some closure to this part of the grieving process as they continue to come to terms with their loss."