A lovesick woman who stabbed to death her Wolverhampton boyfriend was starting a five-year jail sentence today.

Tragedy struck after besotted Jeleisha Colombo, then aged 19, ignored a court ruling ordering 48-year-old James Lockhart to keep away from her.  She continued to visit his home in Parkfield Grove, Parkfields, because of her “emotional attachment” to him, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Colombo, now 20, had spent at least two nights in a row at the address with heavy drinker and drug taker Mr Lockhart before stabbing him through the heart during a row on October 28.

The argument flared after both had downed strong cider, the court was told. He stopped her leaving, so she picked up a knife from the kitchen and plunged it into his chest, the court heard.

Prosecutor Mr Gareth Evans QC revealed that a friend of the dead man had also been in the house at the time. The prosecution accepted a guilty plea to manslaughter on the basis the fatal blow was delivered while she was suffering a loss of self control sparked by a fear of serious violence from him.

The doomed relationship had started 12 months earlier after Colombo was found at Lockhart’s house after running away from home.

She complained to police of him being violent towards her four times last year and on April 1.  A court order banned him from contacting her.

Judge John Wait told her yesterday: “Through your emotional attachment to him you were unable to take advantage of the protection offered by the order. Somebody with his force of personality exercised control over you.”

Judge Wait continued: “I am satisfied that the violence was not all one way and your account of exactly what happened is inconsistent to the point of incoherence, but you deliberately stabbed him in the chest after an argument had ebbed and flowed for some time.

“There is real possibility that his refusal to let you go could have led to you losing self control and collecting the knife.

“A fear of violence substantially caused by the cumulative effect of actual violence and his control over you led to this.”

Mr Lockhart’s brother John said after the case: “This has been a long ordeal and the family is just glad it is all over.”