Alex Fitzpatrick death: Man guilty of murdering girlfriend's ex

Robert Parkins was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend's ex partner

A man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend's former partner after a row.

Robert Parkins stabbed Alex Fitzpatrick 17 times in the neck and chest outside his ex-partner's home in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, on 13 October.

The Old Bailey heard 33-year-old Parkins had attacked Mr Fitzpatrick following a family argument, then fled the scene and discarded the knife.

Parkins, of Eaton Socon, will be sentenced on Monday.

The trial heard Mr Fitzpatrick had taken news of Parkins moving in with ex-partner Kelly Anderson and his nine-year-old son "badly" in September.

This had caused "animosity" between the two men, prosecutors said.

Alex Fitzpatrick was repeatedly stabbed outside his former partner's home, jurors heard

Peter Gair, prosecuting, told the court that on the afternoon of 13 October, Mr Fitzpatrick had dropped his son home after taking him swimming, before returning after Ms Anderson found the boy had forgotten his glasses.

A row ensued and Mr Fitzpatrick, from Huntingdon but originally from Cornwall, refused to hand over the boy's spectacles, jurors heard.

Ms Anderson took the child inside before Parkins went outside and stabbed Mr Fitzpatrick repeatedly with a knife, jurors heard.

Mr Fitzpatrick was heard to shout for his former partner and son as he lay on the ground and was later pronounced dead at the scene, Mr Gair said.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Fitzpatrick's cause of death was stab wounds to the neck and chest.

Police cordoned of the scene after the killing

Paying tribute to their son, parents Mary Reading and Dave Fitzpatrick said: "Alex was a loving and devoted father, son and brother to his eight siblings.

"He was always there for us and tried to better himself every day.

"After hearing the evidence and the injuries Alex sustained, today's result is such a relief for us all."