29 March 2021

Woman convicted for a second time of murdering her partner after retrial

29 March 2021

A woman who stabbed her partner to death with a steak knife will serve a minimum of 17 years in prison after being convicted of his murder for a second time, following a retrial.

Emma-Jayne Magson 28, of Sylvan Street, Leicester, killed 26-year-old James Knight with a single stab wound to the heart in March 2016 after a drunken row.

She denied murdering Mr Knight at her first trial claiming it was self-defence, but was convicted of the killing at Leicester Crown Court at the end of 2016.

Magson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years.

However, in January 2020, the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial after hearing new psychiatric evidence showing the defence of diminished responsibility would have been available to Magson at her first trial.

Her second trial took place at Birmingham Crown Court where a jury again found her guilty of Mr Knight’s murder, by majority verdict, on March 5.

Jailing Magson for life on Monday, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told her: “I regret I am unconvinced you have, as yet, any real remorse for having caused James Knight’s death.”

Magson’s application for a retrial was supported by campaign group Justice for Women.

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