A JEALOUS and possessive Netherton man has been jailed for life after bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer when she told him she was leaving him.

Paul Abbott, a prolific gambler, had argued frequently with his wife Jackie about his heavy losses and he "flipped" after she said she did not want him to go with her to an Elvis tribute concert.

The 57-year-old rained blows on her head with the hammer and brutally kicked her about the body in the "frenzied" attack.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Mrs Abbott had gone to stay with a close friend in Ipswich after her husband had gambled away £11,500 within two days and refused to pay her wages at J and P Tackle, on the Enterprise Trading Estate, Brierley Hill, where they worked with their sons Martyn and Ryan.

The court heard that during her absence, Abbott continued gambling and chalking up further debts.

Robert Price, prosecuting, said Mrs Abbott, aged 54, appeared to be confident when she returned to their Lodge Crescent home and had made the decision to leave her husband.

He had been extremely possessive, said Mr Price, and on one occasion had been heard to say "If I can't have you, no one else will."

After returning to the family home, Mrs Abbott - described as a lovely lady - was going to attend the Elvis concert and she had made the clear she wanted to go with friends and not her husband.

Abbott was in a "miserable" mood after his gambling losses when he went to their home and it was there he brutally killed her, added Mr Price.

During the struggle Mrs Abbott activated a panic alarm in the hallway − later found covered in blood − but Abbott silenced it by entering an override code because he “didn’t want to alert the neighbours".

Their son, Martyn, went to the house because he was concerned about his mother and he was told by his father he had taken her to a relatives.

But Martyn then had to chase after his father as he tried to run away and it was moments later he found his mother dead in the garden.

After his arrest, Abbott said there had been tensions in the marriage because of his gambling and as they argued at the family home, she had slapped his face.

He then picked up the hammer, adding: "I lost the plot. My head had gone, I don't know why I flipped.

"No one deserves that, I wouldn't do that to a dog. It was despicable, I lost control like a wild dog."

In a victim impact statement on behalf of the family, Martyn Abbott said the killing had had a devastating effect on all their lives.

He said they had all struggled to come to terms with the circumstances of the death, adding: "To think our father was responsible - a man who should have loved and cared for her - makes it so difficult to understand."

Martyn said Abbott had let them down in the most unimaginable way, adding: "We now have to pick ourselves up and start from scratch."

Jonathan Rose, defending, told the court that Abbott was at a loss to put into context the way he behaved that day.

"He had lost his mind, he lost his self-control," he continued.

He said the attack had not been premeditated or planned, adding: "I think there must have been a time when there was an intent to kill but that was not the plan from the outset."

Mr Rose said Abbott, who had pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, had been more vulnerable than people appreciated and he wished he had built a better relationship with his sons and had been able to discuss problems in the marriage.

"He was at a very low ebb that evening and it was then matters escalated," said Mr Rose.

"There is nothing he can do to put matters right and he accepts his behaviour was extraordinary and dreadful."

Judge James Burbidge QC, who ruled Abbott must spend a minimum of 15 years behind bars, said: "It is clear she resolved to spend her days without you and that was the start of your onslaught on her."

He said Jackie, his wife of 28 years, had posed no physical threat to him but he had chased her around their home with the hammer before leaving her body in a pool of blood in the garden.

"This was a persistent and ferocious attack," said the judge.

Speaking after the sentencing, senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Justin Spanner, said: “Abbott suggested it was a red mist moment and that, despite the relationship being on the rocks, he still loved his wife.

“However, we proved to the court a history of domestic violence and showed that this was a jealous and controlling relationship throughout.

“This was not a loss of temper or a split-second loss of control - Abbott pursued Mrs Abbott down stairs, stopped to deactivate an alarm, and then struck her twice more in the garden.

“This is a tragic case: Mrs Abbott was looking to break from an abusive relationship that she’d endured for a long time and had just returned from a week away with friends. It should have been a fresh start for her − but Abbott cruelly cut her life short."