Jealous Father Jailed For Murdering Family

Neil Crampton was found guilty of murdering his daughter Abigail, son Steven, ex-partner and her brother in 2006.

A jealous father who stabbed to death his two children, their mother and their uncle in the "utmost savagery" was jailed for a minimum of 35 years on Tuesday.

Neil Crampton, 36, from Gateshead, was found guilty of murdering his daughter Abigail, 12, son Steven, five, ex-partner Olufunke Sobo and her brother Yemi Sobo at their home in Newcastle in 2006.

The jury at Newcastle Crown Court rejected his defence of diminished responsibility, the Press Association reported.

Crampton had become jealous of his former partner, a supermarket worker, suspecting her of seeing other men, although he had no evidence.

Shortly before midnight on November 13, 2006, Crampton went armed with a knife to his partner's house and attacked her and her brother.

Crampton said he then went upstairs and knifed his daughter, who tried to defend herself, then killed Steven who was asleep.

After that, he tried several times to kill himself, before he was finally arrested by armed police.

He had dialled 999 and confessed: "I've murdered my entire family".

The judge, Justice Alan Wilkie, said he was satisfied Crampton was fully responsible for his actions.

"These were killings of the utmost savagery," he said.

"You showed no mercy and in your fury you inflicted on each of them many, many blows with a knife."

He said Crampton had committed the murders because of his "pathetic sense of rage" over the end of his relationship with his partner.

"That alone and your inability to cope with that commonplace fact of life caused you to cut them down in this savage way."