A MARRIED father-of-four has been jailed for life after knifing his former girlfriend to death.

Stuart 'George' Thomas, 49, stabbed mum-of-three Katrina O'Hara to death at Jock's Barbers in Blandford on January 7 this year, later claiming in court that her wounds were self-inflicted.

Last month, he was convicted of murder after a trial at Winchester Crown Court, and today he was returned to the court to be told he would serve a minimum of 26 years behind bars.

Jurors heard that Thomas and Miss O'Hara had been involved in a "volatile" extra-marital relationship since May 2015.

Prosecutors alleged that the defendant abducted and threatened to kill the 44-year-old hairdresser less than a fortnight before the fatal stabbing - something Thomas denies.

In the weeks before her death, it was said that Thomas had become increasingly aggressive, sending her abusive text messages and threats.

The court heard that on Christmas Eve last year he threw a make-up brush at her following a dispute. He also turned up uninvited at her home on Boxing Day and pleaded with her to rekindle their relationship.

On December 30, Thomas was arrested on suspicion of harassment, assault and threats to kill after Miss O'Hara made complaints to police, and released with a condition not to contact her.

However, at around 5pm on Thursday, January 7, Thomas left his home address and walked to the barbers where she worked in East Street.

Thomas approached Miss O'Hara as she had a cigarette and pulled her back into an alleyway. She escaped and ran into the barbers shop, but was pursued by Thomas who fatally stabbed her.

He was found in a nearby garden with injuries to his wrist which were so severe that he needed surgery to try to restore the use of his left hand.

He had thrown the knife he used onto the flat roof of a nearby property, where it was later found.

The defendant, of Salisbury Road, Blandford, denied murder, claiming he showed Miss O'Hara the knife telling her he was going to kill himself.

He said they were then involved in a struggle and claimed her injuries were self-inflicted.

Detective Inspector Richard Dixey, of Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said: "I am satisfied with the sentence handed down by the courts and my thoughts continue to be with the family of Katrina. I hope that the sentence handed out today offers them some closure after such a horrific event.

"Stuart Thomas was an abusive and controlling man who would not accept that his relationship with Katrina was over. He sought to use harassment, violence, threats and emotional blackmail to control her behaviour, ultimately leading to her being stabbed to death.

"I would like to thank officers from the Major Crime Investigation Team and other departments for their hard work. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that Thomas was brought to justice for his crime."