Life for man who strangled his wife

A "jealous" and "possessive" man who killed his adulterous wife in their bed and then attempted to suffocate their toddler son was sentenced to life imprisonment today.

Craig Bidgway was told he must serve a minimum of 14 years before he is considered for parole following his conviction in December last year for murder and attempted murder.

The 39-year-old, flanked by security guards and carers in the dock, sobbed throughout the proceedings at Cardiff Crown Court today.

The trial previously heard that Bidgway had strangled his 32-year-old wife Danielle in the bed they shared, suffocated her with a pillow and then put a plastic bag over her head at their home in Gwendoline Terrace, Abercynon, South Wales on 15 April of last year.

In police interviews played to the court, Bidgway told officers he then had sex with his wife's corpse to "show her how much I love her".

He told police he had taken the plastic bag downstairs and put it over the head of his sleeping two-year-old son, William, but took it off when the little boy opened his eyes.

Bidgway said he had "snapped" when his wife offered him £40,000 to start a new life without her after she had met former boyfriend Antony Williams by chance while working in the cafe she ran with her husband.

The defendant claimed he had not intended to kill her or cause her serious harm and pleaded guilty to manslaughter on those grounds.

The jury rejected the defence case that he lacked the necessary intent to kill his son.

Mr Justice Davis told Bidgway: "This has been a tragic case and it has been a horrifying case. Horrifying for others and horrifying for you yourself.

"You have heard the victim impact statements read out. You know that what you said had a far greater effect than on you yourself.

"It appears you are racked by feelings of remorse and guilt. It has taken a toll on you.

"Others want closure; whether you achieve that closure, I don't know.

"That is indicated by the attempts you have made on your own life since it happened. That is part of your punishment. You are going to have to live with it the best you can."

The judge said on the morning of the murder, Bidgway let his "feelings of jealousy, anger and possessiveness get the better" of him.

He added: "Your attitude was that if you could not have her, then no one could; even if your children lost a mother and her parents lost a daughter."

Bidgway was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for murdering his wife. A sentence of 12 years' imprisonment for the attempted murder of his son will run concurrently.