Man jailed for life after murdering woman he met on Plenty of Fish

Anthony Lowe changed his plea to 'guilty' shortly before his trial was due to start

Anthony Lowe lied about his name and age before he killed Katherine Smith. (South Wales Police)

A man has been jailed for life for the “brutal” murder of a woman he met on the Plenty of Fish dating website.

Anthony Lowe will spend at least 18 years behind bars after he confessed to killing 26-year-old Katherine Smith at her home in Cardiff

The 46-year-old changed his plea to guilty shortly before the start of trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

After meeting on Plenty of Fish, South Wales Police said Lowe lied about his name and age. He claimed he was called Tony Moore and pretended to be 36 years old.

After the pair became involved in a brief relationship, the force said Lowe quickly became "obsessive"

"None of her family and friends could have predicted that sadly her life would end so tragically," said senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Rob Cronick.

He added: “Katherine Smith was a loving daughter, granddaughter, sister and friend... Our investigation uncovered that he had demonstrated obsessive and controlling behaviour towards Katherine."

Lowe fled to Weston Super Mare after the murder, but was arrested within 24 hours.

The father of Ms Smith’s daughter, Rob Jones, said the guilty plea “does not take away the fact that our little girl has been robbed of her mummy.”

He added: “She will never have special moments to treasure or the opportunity to make new memories. She now believes mummy is in the stars, always looking over her.”

In a statement Ms Smith's family said: “Our hearts are broken and nothing in this life will ever mend that. We as a family feel a physical pain every day when we see her photograph or when a memory comes to mind of Katherine and the wonderful life we had with her.

“They say that time is a healer. You expect to lose older family members such as parents or grandparents and expect this to be the most emotional pain you would have to endure, but nothing can prepare a mother for having to bury their children.”

They thanked the investigations team for “obtaining justice for Katherine.”