A Lancashire man who commited the "heinous" killing of a 38-year-old women he had befriended has been sentenced to life for her murder.
Grandfather Dean Edward Thompson, 50, of Burnley admitted murdering 38 year old Shelley Barnes at Preston Crown Court.
A judge ordered that Thompson must serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars before being eligible to apply for parole.
Mother-of-three Shelley was found dead by police on Sunday 7th November 2010 in the bedroom of Thompson’s home. She was partially-clothed and had been tied-up and strangled.
She was discovered at the house in Hobart Street, lying face down, her hands tied behind her back with dressing gown belt and another belt around her neck.
A plastic bag had been placed over her head and she died from asphyxiation
The defendant had told police in a prepared statement that their relationship had been mainly friends, rather than sexual.
But Thompson told detectives after his arrest: “I lost the plot. I strangled her. She’s dead.”
He claimed Shelly's behaviour had become unpredictable and that he himself was suffering from depression and that he killed her after being provoked.
Defence counsel Mr Peter Wright QC said Thompson had felt frustration and irritation and a loss of control led to the fatal events.
The defendant recognised he had deprived her children of their mother and by his conduct, effectively ended his own.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice MacDuff told Thompson: “The trigger for this wicked crime can never be known, what it was that caused you to act so out of character and take her life away.”
Detective Inspector Pete Broome from the Lancashire Force Major Investigation Team said: "Shelley Barnes met an appalling death at the hands of Thompson.
"She was tied-up, strangled and had a bag placed over her head. The terror she must have gone through is unimaginable.
"Thompson had befriended Shelley some months before her death and allowed her to lodge at his home. Quite what prompted him to commit such a heinous crime, we may never know.
“Thompson acknowledged his responsibility for causing Shelley’s death from an early stage in the investigation, but initially sought to show that he had lost control of his faculties at the time of the killing, suggesting that he was guilty of manslaughter and not murder.
"With that in mind, I am pleased that Thompson has now pleaded guilty to murder, not only for the investigation team, but more importantly for the Shelley’s family, who now no longer have to go through the ordeal of a trial.
“Dedicated family liaison officers are continuing to support Miss Barnes’s family, as they have done throughout the investigation, and our thoughts remain with her family as they come to terms with such a tragic loss.”
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