AN alcoholic who killed another woman with an axe in a drink and drug fuelled attack has been jailed for six years. Beverley Burrow (pictured) inflicted 38 wounds to the head and neck of Senga Kelly with the axe during the frenzied attack. Minutes later, Burrow was seen walking naked and bloodstained in the street, and tried to gain entry into an off licence. Preston Crown Court was told that the killing occurred at Burrow's home in Clarence Street, Morecambe.

Her boyfriend had allowed Senga Kelly, known as Nessie, to stay at the house after she was involved in a street fight.

But when Burrow found her asleep at the house, she attacked her with the axe because her mind was disturbed through a cocktail of drink and drugs. Burrow, 38, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and her not guilty plea to murder was accepted by the Crown. David Turner QC, prosecuting, told the court that both Burrow and Nessie Kelly, 41, were members of Morecambe's alcoholic community but did not know each other. In December last year Burrow travelled from Morecambe to Preston to meet her boyfriend Robin Ferguson who was being released from Prison.

She drank whisky in a local pub and missed him being released and returned to Morecambe alone. Later that evening, Nessie was involved in a fight and as a result, Mr Ferguson allowed her to stay at the home he shared with Burrow. At the house, they mended a bike chain using an axe, which was later used in the killing. Ferguson went out to buy cannabis and shortly after, Burrow attacked Nessie who was asleep in the front room. She was then seen walking naked towards an off licence on Green Road, mumbling, and had blood on her hands and feet. Later when told she had killed someone, Burrow said: "Please God, forgive me."

Rodney Scholes, QC, defending, said the killing was "bizarre" and had been carried out at a time when Burrow was in an extremely abnormal state of mind.

Mr Scholes added: "She is slowly coming to terms with what she has done." Passing sentence Judge Reginald Lockett told Burrow: "I accept you were in an abnormal state of mind and your responsibility was thereby diminished. But I have to bear in mind a life was taken."

Det Insp Colin Fish commented: "I think the verdict was appropriate in the circumstances. There had never been any animosity between the pair."

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