An alcoholic who stabbed his partner 177 times with a kitchen knife will serve a minimum of 17 years in prison for murder.

Arthur Pitt-Pladdy, aged 36, murdered mother-of-three Kim Butler in the flat they shared at Pennant Avenue, Saundersfoot, in the early hours of August 13th, 2008.

She sustained 177 stab wounds in what a jury heard was a "brutal and sadistic attack", before Pitt-Pladdy dialed 999 from a telephone box and confessed to the operator.

Pitt-Pladdy was convicted of murder at Swansea Crown Court on Friday.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 17 years and 157 days, at Swansea Crown Court today. His remand time since his arrest is included.

Ms Butler was described by friends and family as a "loving and caring person, who will be sadly missed".

A statement from her family added: "The verdict of murder at Swansea Crown Court will in a small, but positive way, help us to come to terms with our loss."

A Facebook group, set up by Kim’s son following her death, attracted more than 100 members who left messages of sympathy and support.

Pitt-Pladdy met Ms Butler through a mutual friend. The court heard she was terrified of her partner and told friends he had threatened to kill her.

On August 12th he drank at the local pub before making his way home.

After stabbing his lover repeatedly with a kitchen knife, he walked to a nearby telephone kiosk and told the operator: "I’ve just committed a murder."

The prosecution told the court he was sufficiently in control during the call and told the operator to hyphenate his name.

He was arrested by police, who found him still in the kiosk drinking a can of Special Brew.

Police who arrived at the scene found Ms Butler dead with a knife in her neck, and a major investigation was launched.

Pitt-Pladdy had admitted manslaughter, but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental illness.

During the trial, his barrister told the court he suffered from alcohol dependency, but a psychiatrist told the jury he had not been suffering from an abnormality of mind when he stabbed Kim Butler.

Dr John Sandford added that, in his opinion, what Pitt-Pladdy did that day could not be explained by alcohol alone.