A man who admitted manslaughter after a woman died as a result of being stabbed has been handed a life sentence.
Adam Butt, 23, of Laing Road in Colchester, was sentenced today, Friday, July 29, at Chelmsford Crown Court and was ordered to serve a minimum term of 12 years.
On Sunday, January 17 2021, Essex Police were called to an address in Laing Road in the early hours of the morning where they discovered an unresponsive woman inside the home.
Mary Wells, 21, was later pronounced dead at the scene and a forensic post mortem found she died as the result of being stabbed.
Butt, then 21, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder on January 18, 2021 to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court the following day.
He denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at a hearing on August 17 last year at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Mary’s family, who live in the United States, paid tribute at the time calling Mary a “bright” woman after she graduated from Dallastown High School in Pennsylvania.
They added: “She was looking to excel in life and will be loved and missed by all".
Detective Sergeant Michael Ferguson, from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate said following the sentencing: “My thoughts and condolences are very much with Mary’s family at this time.
“This was a tragic incident which claimed the life of a young woman who had everything to look forward to and who should have been able to experience everything that life could offer her for many more years to come.”
Adam Butt was sentenced under Section 45A of the Mental Health Act 1983.
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