A DRUG-crazed woman helped stab her former boyfriend to death and then disembowelled him, a court heard.

Kathleen Norwood and her new boyfriend Wayne Taylor took a cocktail of drugs before killing heroin addict and former soldier Simon Lockett at her bedsit flat in Burnley.

He was stabbed twelve times in the chest, neck and back, and Norwood then cut out a section of his intestine which was hanging from his wounds.

She placed the entrails in a fridge and boasted to a friend that she was going to feed them to Taylor's pet ferret, Preston Crown Court heard.

Norwood, 26, of Colne Road, Burnley, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for seven years.

Taylor, 20, of Spencer Street, Burnley, admitted murdering Mr Lockett and was ordered to be detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure. His younger brother, Adam Taylor, 17, of Woodbine Road, Burnley, who was arrested at the scene carrying two knives unconnected with the killing, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

He was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders' institution and will be released immediately because of the time he has spent on remand.

Peter Openshaw QC, prosecuting, told the court that there was a considerable history to the case, which ended in Mr Lockett's death on November 14 last year.

Earlier that month, 24-year-old Mr Lockett had formed a casual relationship with Norwood which lasted only a week.

She then switched her affections to Wayne Taylor which angered Mr Lockett.

Over the days leading up to the killing, Mr Lockett threatened Taylor with violence and even visited his home armed with an air pistol. But on the evening of November 13, Mr Lockett met up with Taylor and they ended up at Norwood's bedsit in Colne Road with several other people.

Mr Lockett injected himself with heroin and during the evening his mood became rather peculiar.

During the night, the other people left and by the time of the killing, only Norwood and Wayne Taylor remained.

The next morning, 16-year-old neighbour Laura Morris was awoken by Norwood.

Mr Openshaw told the court: "She was asked if she wanted to see a dead body.

"Not believing what she had been told, Miss Morris went downstairs to Norwood's flat where she was shown Simon Lockett's fully clothed but bloodstained body. He was long dead.

"Norwood told her that after she had stabbed Lockett, part of his entrails was left hanging out of his abdomen.

"She said she had gathered them into a bag and put them into the fridge, intending to feed them to Wayne Taylor's ferret. "Norwood then casually picked up a cigarette butt and deliberately stubbed it into one of the gaping stab wounds."

Police later recovered a bag of human tissue in Norwood's fridge and found it to be fatty tissue which surrounds the intestines.

Mr Openshaw added: "Because of the size of the two pieces, it could not have naturally spilled out of the wounds and must have been torn or cut off."

Mr Nicholas Valios QC, defending Wayne Taylor, said the killing had been a "nightmare" for everyone concerned.

Taylor had been frightend of Mr Lockett's threats to him and at the bedsit had stabbed him in panic. He accepted inflicting most of the wounds.

Rodney Klevan QC, defending Norwood, told the court: "This is yet another case of the dreadful consequences of the abuse of drugs."

Norwood had been "spaced out" on drugs, with traces of heroin, temazepam, valium, alcohol and methadone found in her blood after her arrest.

Mr Klevan said: "She used the knife and inflicted two blows.

"She admits the removal of the intestines was her responsiblity."

Sentencing Taylor and Norwood, Mr Justice Sachs told them: "This man is now dead when he should be alive. You two played a part in that death.

"You, Taylor, applied that awful weapon on a number of occasions and there is only one sentence I can pass on you."

He told Norwood: "Yours was an awful part in this story and you are an absolute disgrace to your sex."

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