Bedlington man jailed for killing ex-partner's 'hero' father

James Rutherford was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of manslaughter

A man has been jailed for killing his ex-partner's "hero" father.

Andrew Saint, 64, suffered fatal head injuries after being attacked by James Rutherford, 37, in Bedlington, Northumberland, on 23 February 2020.

Northumbria Police said Rutherford had earlier been involved in an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, Mr Saint's daughter Toni.

Rutherford was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court.

A force spokesman said Mr Saint went to his daughter's home after the earlier row where he advised her to lock the doors and contact police.

After returning home, he told his wife Janice he was going out to buy food for his grandchild's packed lunch, but never returned.

Andrew Saint's death has devastated his family

He had actually gone to confront Rutherford where a fight broke out, police said.

Rutherford claimed he punched Mr Saint in self-defence after the father-of-one came at him with a Stanley knife.

He had been charged with murder but jurors found him guilty of manslaughter.

Janice, who had been married to Mr Saint for 30 years, said her husband's death had left a huge void in her life.

'Destroyed and broken'

She said: "My whole daily routine has changed since his death and I struggle every day to deal with this. I am still struggling to make sense of it all.

"Whatever sentence James Rutherford gets will never compensate me for the loss of my husband, the loss of a father and loss of a grandfather.

"This has left me destroyed and broken."

Mr Saint's daughter Toni said her father was "my hero" and she struggles "to understand how someone I was so close to has caused such devastation to my family".