Whole life term for abuser who killed ex-girlfriend and new partner

An abuser who stabbed to death his ex-partner and a man she was dating in a "ferocious and merciless" attack was sentenced to a whole life order.

Marcus Osborne murdered Katie Higton, 27, and Steven Harnett, 25, in May 2023.

He forced his way into the home he used to share with Ms Higton in Huddersfield and attacked her as she returned from a date at a cinema.

Prosecutors said she put up a "courageous struggle" but suffered 99 knife wounds, including more than 20 to the face.

He had found out about Ms Higton's developing relationship with Mr Harnett by hacking into her Snapchat account.

Osborne, 35, then used her phone to lure Mr Harnett to the house, stabbing him 24 times and leaving him with mutilated genitals.

After the killings he said: "Romeo and Juliet can die together now."

He also raped another woman who was at the house and held her at knifepoint overnight.

Osborne pleaded guilty to the murders and the rape.

The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, said there were no mitigating factors.

"This is a case of such exceptional seriousness that even a very long minimum term would not be a just punishment. What you did that night was horrific," she told Osborne.

This video has been edited to remove extreme language and graphic descriptions of extreme violence.

The judge's sentencing remarks can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/th...

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