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Lee Peacock, 50, has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend and a man by a jury at the Old Bailey.

He committed the crime just weeks after being released from prison.

Jurors heard that Mr Peacock set out to punish his partner Sharon Pickles, 46, and Clinton Ashmore, 59, during a two-day violent spree through Westminster in August 2021.

Police tracked him down to a houseboat on the Grand Union Canal after a five-day manhunt.

The self-confessed thief turned a 4cm-long knife on himself as officers approached.

Mr Peacock confessed to the killings but said claimed extenuating circumstances and denied it was murder.

The 50-year-old, who was released from prison on June 4 2021, said the death of his girlfriend had been a “pure accident”.

He claimed that Mr Ashmore went berserk and punched him in the head after he coffered to Ms Pickles’ killing.

It took the jury just two hours and twenty minutes to reach their guilt verdict after retiring on Tuesday.

As the verdicts were read out, five family members of the victims celebrated and cried.

Mr Peacock, however, showed no emotion.

Ms Pickles’ father said he had been “left numb” by her killing, which came just two years after the death of his wife in 2019.

In an impact statement, he said: “It left me numb, I have found it impossible to celebrate birthdays or even Christmas because my daughter wasn’t at rest and had no peace.

“It doesn’t feel real that Sharon is gone, I miss her more than words can describe.”

Her brother Robert Pickles said: “When details started emerging about Sharon’s death I couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

“The last 17 months have taken a toll mentally and psychically. The hardest part was listening to someone trying to excuse and justify their actions.”

More to follow……

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