Andrew Wadsworth, a UK-based former MMA fighter, will spend at least 32 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a jealous cocaine and alcohol-fuelled rage.
Wadsworth, 37, will be close to 70-years-old when he is eligible for release after being sentenced to life behind bars following the murder conviction earlier this week where he was found to have knifed to death his ex-girlfriend Melissa Belshaw, 32.
The judge presiding over the sentencing, Mrs Justice Yip, described Wadsworth as being a “violent and dangerous” offender who had sought to demean Belshaw’s character throughout the trial by making a series of accusations about the deceased’s personal life, with Justice Yip remarking that his comments “went beyond anything that was justified.”
The court also heard that Belshaw’s 13-year-old daughter witnessed part of the attack which led to her mother’s death.
Wadsworth had attempted to mitigate the charges against him by saying he had “lost control” after alleging that Belshaw had made a series of admissions about her private life which he said left him “humiliated“.
Rubbishing his claims, Justice Yip told the accused that he had “degraded her in life, and you continued to do so after her death.”
Wadsworth was also found guilty of attempted murder after he attacked a neighbor who had come to check on Belshaw’s welfare after hearing sounds of distress coming from her residence. Moments after killing Belshaw, Wadsworth also stabbed the neighbor several times – with the judge saying that he “came close” to killing him.
Another man was involved in the incident – a nearby workman who also heard the attacks getting underway. The court heard that he smashed a window with a hammer to allow Belshaw’s daughter to escape the scene as the doors were locked.
Wadsworth also attacked two police officers on the day of the murder, hitting one of the first officers on the scene with a ’roundhouse kick’ while also punching another officer once he was taken to a police station.
“As a former professional mixed martial arts fighter, you knew exactly what you were doing,” he was told by the judge. “You have displayed no remorse for the death of the woman you professed to have once loved.“
Wadsworth last competed in professional mixed martial arts in 2008 and owns a 2-2 record inside the cagae.
