A WOMAN who stabbed her partner to death with a decorating knife following a row has been jailed for five and a half years.

Ann Waters killed 27-year-old Mark Kenyon just two days after learning that her baby, which she had waited more than 20 years to have, had been permanently taken from them.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that both Waters and Mr Kenyon, who had had a volatile relationship, had taken drugs before the fatal incident at their home in Priory Avenue, Leigh.

Jailing 41-year-old Waters, Judge John Roberts said that no sentence he could impose could compensate the victim's family.

He said he took into account that it had not been a premeditated attack, she had alerted others immediately after the killing, and she was making efforts to rid herself of her drug addiction.

Richard Vardon, prosecuting, said the couple began a relationship, which was volatile, about December, 2004. She gave birth to their daughter, Kayleigh, on September 28 last year.

The couple were both long term drug users and social workers decided at a meeting that the girl should live permanently with Mr Kenyon's father, David and his partner, Kathryn Thomas.

Waters and Mr Kenyon stormed out of the meeting and were upset at the loss of the child. "She had been waiting 20 years or so to fall pregnant," said Mr Vardon.

At 3.30pm on January 7 a neighbour heard Mr Kenyon, outside his home sounding slurred and angry, and shouting about "the baby".

Other neighbours saw him banging on the windows of his home and shouting and screaming. A few minutes later Waters called at her next door neighbour's home and asked him to ring for an ambulance. "I've stabbed Mark", she said.

She had stabbed him once in the chest with a knife which had penetrated his heart.

Paramedics found him lying on his back, half in the hallway and half in the lounge, and tried resuscitation. He was pronounced dead at Wigan Infirmary at 5pm.

Waters had left the house before paramedics arrived saying to the neighbours, "I've lost my baby, I'm going to lose Mark now."

A blood sample showed she had consumed heroin, amphetamine, methadone, cocaine and diazapan.

When interviewed she said she had not meant to stab him and it had been an accident.

Stephen Riordan, QC, defending, said that Waters, who has no convictions for violence, was genuinely remorseful.

"There was an altercation that day and the argument continued inside the house. There was a break and when the deceased returned to the house the argument began again.

"She found herself in the front room where decorating was going on.

"A small knife had been left for decorating purposes. She took possession of it and used it against him," said Mr Riordan.

He said that she was very concerned about her victim's family as his brother Lee Kenyon had died of a drug overdose in November. "She is deeply remorseful and bitterly regrets events of that day."

Waters had denied murder, but her plea of guilty to manslaughter was accepted by the prosecution.