Cage fighter guilty of murdering beautician ex in cocaine-fuelled knife attack after row about her sex life
A CAGE fighter has today been found guilty of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in front of her teen daughter in a coke-fuelled horror attack. Andrew Wadsworth, 37, killed Melissa Belshaw, 32, in the front bedroom of her home in Billinge, Wigan, after binging on cocaine and booze. The ex-professional mixed martial arts fighter had […]
A CAGE fighter has today been found guilty of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in front of her teen daughter in a coke-fuelled horror attack.
Andrew Wadsworth, 37, killed Melissa Belshaw, 32, in the front bedroom of her home in Billinge, Wigan, after binging on cocaine and booze.
The ex-professional mixed martial arts fighter had flown into a rage when he discovered what he claimed were “shock” disclosures about her sex life.
Wadsworth was today found guilty of murdering Melissa at Manchester Crown Court.
He was also convicted of attempting to murder a hero neighbour who tried to intervene in the street, but found not guilty of threatening to kill Melissa’s 13-year-old daughter.
Jurors heard how Wadsworth began dating beautician Melissa in March 2018.
The thug had been released from jail on licence the previous November following convictions in 2011 for robbery, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence, aggravated burglary and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He was recalled to prison in January 2019 after a positive drugs test for cocaine and then released again on March 4 this year after a parole hearing.
Just two months later, he launched into the frenzied knife attack on Melissa.
Jurors were told Wadsworth was “magnetically attracted” to Melissa but the pair had a “volatile relationship which was dependent on their mutual interest in drink, drugs and sex”.
Wadsworth said he felt “humiliated and betrayed” after claiming his ex admitted to being a sex worker “at some level”.
He also claimed she told him she had multiple partners.
But prosecutors described his claims as “no more than recycled accusations” used to “shift blame”.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service available. from 10am to noon.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Melissa died from a “series of deliberate stab wounds” which had been inflicted with “severe force”.
The court was told the mum had made “a futile attempt to defend herself” during the horror on May 20 this year.
A passer-by smashed through the front door of the house after hearing the screams of Melissa’s daughter inside.
Melissa’s body was then discovered in the bedroom, while the teen was found “trapped in the house with the man who had just murdered her mother”.
Once Wadsworth fled, he was captured on CCTV stabbing neighbour Gerard Bristow in the street.
Prosecutor Tim Storrie said: “In the aftermath of the killing, Wadsworth came out into the street.
“He was still armed. He was still dangerous and his intentions were plainly still murderous.”
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The jury had heard that Wadsworth admitted killing Melissa but claimed he was not guilty of murder because he had acted “instinctively” and suffered a “loss of control”.
Mr Storrie said: “Melissa Belshaw wasn’t killed in a single instance of violence. The attack upon her was prolonged, remorseless and deliberate.”
Wadsworth will be sentenced tomorrow.
