A WOMAN who murdered her mother\u2019s best friend and neighbour has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after she changed her plea to guilty on the fifth day of her trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rebecca Press, 32, from Caerphilly, stabbed Marc Ash on July 17, 2021, following a row in her mother\u2019s home. She had gone there to stay following a split from her boyfriend Ashley Allen who she believed had been unfaithful, Prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC told the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, told the court that the defendant went into the kitchen, opened the contents of a kitchen drawer onto the floor, took a knife and delivered a \u201csingle blow\u201d to Mr Ash with the \u201cfull length of the blade\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When arrested, Press denied the claims and \u201cfeigned ignorance\u201d, according to Mr Rees, instead suggesting she had reacted in self defence against an aggressive Mr Ash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following her arrest, substances including alcohol, bromazolam and etizolam, amphetamine, MDMA and THC were found in her system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Rees told the court that Press attended New Tredegar Rugby Club and the Dynevor Arms with Mr Ash following an afternoon of drinking with her mother in their communal garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the afternoon, the defendant revealed to her mother that she had taken four Valiums which her mother warned her against because of her reaction to mixing the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Press then wanted to go to the pub with her family but they did not want to go and Mr Ash reluctantly accompanied her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Rees told the Crown Court that it was at the Dynevor Arms where the defendant became \u201cangry and aggressive\u201d after becoming trapped in a toilet cubicle due to a faulty lock. Because of this behaviour, Mr Ash returned alone to the home of Press\u2019 mother to watch a film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Press returned home later that evening and a row ensued between herself, her mother and her brother who had entered the house against the mother\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Ash called the police and explained it was \u201ckicking off\u201d before trying to calm Press down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Rees told the court that following the attack the defendant then searched for her phone and left a voicemail to her ex-boyfriend Mr Allen saying: \u201cIt\u2019s really bad. It\u2019s really ****ing bad. I\u2019ve just stabbed someone and killed them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The defendant\u2019s barrister John Hipkin KC told the court that Press had \u201cdeliberately withheld her guilty plea\u201d whilst waiting for the witness statements of her mother and brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Judge sentenced Press to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court heard victim impact statements from Mr Ash\u2019s parents and daughter who described him as a \u201cquiet, gentle, loving, generous person\u201d and said they were \u201cheartbroken and miss every hair on his head\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Ash\u2019s daughter said that she will \u201clive with the fact I no longer have a father for the rest of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rebecca Press plunged a knife into her victim’s chest after an afternoon of drinking and drug use<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":897,"featured_media":72133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[1291,394,482,484,8273,485],"coauthors":[8088],"class_list":["post-72078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-outabout","tag-cardiff-2","tag-court","tag-crown-court","tag-murder","tag-rebecca-press","tag-sentencing"],"yoast_head":"\n