A killer who stabbed a dad to death in front of his partner has been cleared of murder.
Tony Nichol had just left his friend's flat with his girlfriend when he was stabbed by Andrew Somerville, who lived in the block. Somerville knifed Mr Nichol, 36, in the chest and side, causing a "catastrophic" injury from which he died.
Somerville, 42, had claimed he was acting in self-defence. A jury at Newcastle Crown Court found him not guilty of murder but guilty to manslaughter by a majority of 10 to 2. He will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
