Leeds Recorder Guy Carle KC told Leeds Crown Court that Malton's mother Lisa Welford, 49, was “kind, gentle, caring, thoughtful and loved”.
However, she had a long-standing relationship with Vincent Joseph Morgan, 47, who had a history of partner violence and regularly assaulted her.
On April 24, Mr Morgan returned to Derwent, Malton, with his girlfriend after spending the day drinking with her in York, despite a court order banning him from contacting or being with her. I went out to the path along the river.
There he broke her thigh, threw her into the river as she lay drunk and helpless on the shore, and pushed her head underwater until she drowned.
The judge told Morgan: “When he drinks, he becomes cruel and callous and is unable to control his desire to be violent towards his partner.”
He sentenced Morgan to life in prison and ordered him to serve a minimum of 21 years from his first court appearance last April before being eligible for parole.
Mr Morgan, of Chandler's Wharf, Castlegate, Malton, denied two charges of murder and causing actual bodily harm in the weeks before Lisa's death, but was cleared by a Leeds jury on Monday of all charges. He was found guilty of the charges.
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Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said that shortly before Lisa died, she had to leave the house because Morgan moved in but refused to leave.
“She clearly had the potential to be manipulated by the defendant,” the lawyer said. She had problems with alcohol and mental health and was a flirtatious woman.
In a personal statement read by Lisa's sister Mandy, her adoptive mother said she thought about Lisa every day.
“A mother does not have to attend her daughter's funeral,” she said.
Mandy said she watched as Lisa suffered injuries at Morgan's hands, including a black eye and a broken nose, but she kept coming up with excuses and wouldn't leave him.
“We knew it would be hopeless to try to change her mind because she loved him. We were scared for Lisa. Even though she loved him, we knew that trying to change her mind would be hopeless. At the same time, I was afraid of what he would do to me if I angered him.
Lisa's biological mother said in a personal statement that she visited Lisa in Malton and that Lisa introduced her to Morgan, calling her a “friend.”
“As I was leaving, I turned to him and said, 'Take care of her,' and he said he would. I didn't know of his past record of assaulting women. If only we could bring it back,” the statement said.
Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said family, neighbors, friends, social workers, medical professionals and police tried to help Lisa but without success.
Lisa leaves her son and lives with her grandmother.
Defense barrister James Bourne-Arton KC said Mr Morgan had suffered from alcohol problems throughout most of his working life. His relationship with Lisa was as loving as “behind the scenes.”
“He is not a person with a history of serious acts of violence.”
The jury heard evidence from Mr Morgan's ex-girlfriend, who said she had been subjected to continued violence over many years, including an assault that led to her conviction for causing actual bodily harm. Ta.
