Brit man stabbed partner 7 times in the back ‘after she called him a cheat’ in vicious killing at Italian home

A BRIT who admitted to stabbing his spouse 7 times successful the backmost has aft she claimed him a "cheat".

Michael Whitbread, 75, confessed to the chilling crime astatine their secluded cottage successful agrarian Italy, tried to blasted his partner’s accusations for the gruesome killing.

The horror sidesplitting of Michele Faiers, 66, unfolded successful October 2023 astatine their location successful Verratti, successful the cardinal portion of Abruzzo.

Her assemblage was recovered by a acrophobic friend, who alerted authorities aft not proceeding from her for respective days.

The grandmother had been stabbed aggregate times successful the back, and her assemblage was discovered lying successful a excavation of blood, covered with a achromatic sheet.

Whitbread fled the country aft the killing, reportedly driving 1,259 miles done Switzerland and France earlier arriving astatine his daughter’s location successful the UK.

He was arrested successful Shepshed, Leicestershire, connected suspicion of execution and remained successful custody arsenic the proceedings continued successful Italy.

Whitbread, who had moved to Italy with Michele successful 2015 aft selling their scuba diving schoolhouse successful Torquay, claimed successful tribunal that helium was driven to unit aft months of accusations that helium had an affair. 

"I stabbed her, I don’t retrieve however galore times," Whitbread confessed, describing the escalating tensions successful their relationship, reports The Times.

The erstwhile diving teacher said Michele accused him of having an matter aft she allegedly saw him patting different woman’s bottommost astatine a New Year’s Eve enactment successful 2022.

Whitbread, who denied the accusations, claimed the ongoing rows turned violent.

“It was an unusual clip circular the head, past it got worse,” helium told the court.

Whitbread nevertheless has been accused by different witnesser of being abusive to Michele - with a person revealing helium erstwhile allegedly near her covered successful bruises aft a row.

And her household person accused the self-confessed slayer of trying to displacement the blasted for his crimes.

The household lawyer, Nadia Germana Tascona, acknowledged Whitbread’s confession but rejected his claims of provocation.

“Based connected the evidence, evidently not,” she said erstwhile asked if Whitbread was the unfortunate of bullying.

“We don’t judge things went the mode helium described them.”

Michele's brother, Norman, 73, dismissed Whitbread’s claims arsenic an effort to displacement blame.

“He is evidently trying to overgarment my sister arsenic immoderate benignant of banshee, but that isn’t true.

"She was a mother, a grandmother, a vibrant woman. And helium was a weak, anemic man. There is nary excuse for what helium did. It was violent, it was murder.”

Her sister, Trina, 63, said their aged mother, aged 96, was devastated.

“She had a bully narration with Michael. All of america did. We trusted him, and helium murdered Michele — and she did thing wrong.”

On the nighttime of October 28, 2023, Whitbread said Michele woke him, hitting him and saying: "I privation you were dead."

He alleged she kicked him and tried to propulsion him down the stairs earlier helium grabbed a weapon successful panic.

“She kicked maine successful the intimate parts and was trying to propulsion maine down the stairs. I thought: she’s going to chopped me. That is erstwhile I grabbed the weapon successful panic," helium claimed.

Michele was recovered lying connected her furniture with 7 stab wounds to her back.

Whitbread past fled the scene, driving backmost to the UK.

British police, tipped disconnected by his daughter, tracked him down, starring to his extradition to Italy and the commencement of his proceedings successful November 2023.

A psychiatric valuation presented by his defence described Whitbread arsenic sociable but prone to depression, irritability, and obsessive behaviour.

Psychiatrist Raffaele de Leonardis said: “I judge this crime was the effect of a psychiatric illness."

She told constabulary that Michele had stayed astatine her location successful aboriginal October 2023 aft Whitbread allegedly bushed her during a row, leaving her covered successful bruises.

“She deed maine and I had to support myself. That is wherever the marks came from,” Whitbread said successful court, denying helium had assaulted Michele.

Michele's 3 daughters attended the hearing, holding each different arsenic Whitbread described the killing.

The presiding justice has ordered a intelligence survey of Whitbread arsenic the proceedings continues.