Luke Jones jailed for 17 years for Natasha Bradbury murder
A jealous and possessive man who murdered his ex-girlfriend in a rage over her seeing someone else has been jailed for 17 years.
Luke Jones, of Milford Haven, attacked Natasha Bradbury at her Haverfordwest flat, in Pembrokeshire, in February.
Swansea Crown Court heard she died from blunt force injuries, including cracked ribs, neck, brain and heart injuries.
Jones, 33, had denied murder, claiming she was injured in a fall as they argued.
In the days before the killing, the pair's relationship deteriorated when Miss Bradbury asked Jones if she could stay at a friend's house instead of seeing him.
The prosecution said he then beat her to death after finding out she had been with another man after they split up.
'Lips are blue'
On the night she died, neighbour Timothy Down said he became concerned about noises coming from her flat.
He told the court he was woken by the sound of "serious, heavy banging" coming from her home and he hung his phone out of the window to try to record the noise.
He did not report the matter to police because he called his father who advised him not to get involved.
After his arrest, Jones claimed Miss Bradbury's injuries were caused by a fall after she attacked him.
Giving evidence in his defence, Jones said: "She jumped at me, she lunged at me going for my face. I grabbed her head. She went to headbutt me. I grabbed her by the throat and pushed her back.
"I kicked her in the body. She went over the coffee table and landed on two wooden cabinets."
He said "there was blood everywhere" and, after he returned from the bathroom, "Natasha never moved".
Sentencing him to life, with a minimum 17-year term, Judge Keith Thomas said Jones had carried out a "brutal, sustained and severe attack".
Speaking after the hearing, Miss Bradbury's family said they were heartbroken by her death and her nine-year-old son had had his childhood ruined.
Det Ch Insp Stephen Hughes, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said the conviction will be "of little comfort" to Miss Bradbury's family.
"But I hope the conviction will in some way help them to come to terms with the horrifying events with the knowledge that the offender has been brought to justice," he added.