Alyson Nelson murder: William Finlay jailed for 20 years

Alyson Nelson's daughters say she was "constantly bubbling with life"

A man has been jailed for 20 years for murdering his ex-partner in her County Antrim home.

Alyson Nelson, 64, was stabbed seven times at her house in Whitehead in April 2022.

William Finlay, 68, from Olde Forde Gardens, Whitehead, had initially denied the murder but changed his plea to guilty last year.

The court heard that the attack on the retired nurse was motivated by jealousy.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Nelson's daughters described her as a woman who was "constantly bubbling with life".

Ms Nelson was stabbed seven times in less than a minute by Finlay and the offence was aggravated by reason of involving domestic abuse.

William Finlay was filmed by a doorbell camera entering and leaving Ms Nelson's home

The court heard she cared for her mother and her husband - the father of the youngest of her four children, as he died of cancer - and her brother.

After meeting online, Finlay and Ms Nelson started a relationship in December 2018 which ended 18 months before he murdered her.

The prosecution said that in April 2022, she was in a new relationship - and it was Finlay's jealousy which prompted his actions on the evening of 16 April 2022.

Finlay - who spent 25 years in the Navy - was captured on her ring doorbell footage entering Ms Nelson's home.

About a minute later he was seen leaving the house and wiping a knife with a cloth, then walking up the street.

'No innocent reason'

The judge said that her family had experienced an "immeasurable" loss.

"She is no longer around to spoil her grandchildren or even to see and hold the youngest one who was born in August after her death," he said.

The judge told the court that Finlay had been married twice before and he had a conviction in 1999 for assaulting his first wife and a daughter along with a conviction in 2002 for harassing his first wife and assaulting her.

There was another entry on his record for assaulting a complete stranger by apparently biting his ear in 2002.

He said Finlay had claimed he did not recall what he did to Ms Nelson.

However the judge said he had "no reason to believe that claim".

He said it was clear the murder was "premeditated" as Finlay had a pair of latex gloves and a knife "to hand or in his car" to carry out the brutal attack and there was "no innocent reason" for this.

"It was the opposite of a spontaneous act committed in the heat of an emotional moment."

The judge said other aggravating factors were that the attack was "sustained", involving multiple stab wounds to Mrs Nelson's face, arms, chest and back.

The judge noted that Finlay "was trying to clean up the evidence when he was arrested by by the police and had already cleaned the knife".

• Life in jail for man who murdered his ex-partner

• Murder victim stabbed seven times in a minute

The judge said he found Finlay's expressions of remorse through his lawyer "deeply unconvincing".

The judge said he had been "struck by the premeditation in this case and, when he got his chance to murder, he seized it mercilessly".

The judge said that after taking all factors into account, he considered the minimum term for the defendant to spend in custody would be 23 years.

He then gave Finlay discount for his guilty plea and reduced the sentence to 20 years.

Alyson Nelson, 64, was stabbed seven times at her house in Whitehead almost two years ago

Speaking to the victim's relatives in court, the judge said: "It may not seem to Mrs Nelson's family and friends that a guilty plea in the present case deserves any credit when the case against the defendant was overwhelming."

However he explained that a guilty plea "allows the family to hear the defendant have to accept his guilty openly and publicly" and that it "saves the family from the ordeal of having to give evidence or hear others give evidence".

'Much-loved mother, grandmother and sister'

PSNI Det Insp Michelle Griffin said the victim should have been safe in her own home.

She added that police officers and emergency service colleagues had made "valiant efforts to save her".

"Alyson was a much-loved mother, grandmother and sister.

"The entire family has suffered a huge loss, made all the more agonising by the cruel way in which her life was taken. Friends and local people too have lost a loved one."

The officer said Finlay was the first person in Northern Ireland to be convicted and sentenced for murder aggravated by domestic abuse under new legislation.