A MAN is facing life imprisonment after murdering his lover by stabbing her five times.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that 39-year-old Andrew McKinlay stayed in the house for five days after the killing while his dead partner Josephine Steele's body was decomposing in the bathroom.

Yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow, McKinlay admitted murdering mother-of-three Josephine, 45, by stabbing her on October 9 or 10, last year. The fatal wound severed the jugular vein and carotid artery.

Advocate depute Tim Niven-Smith, prosecuting, said that although McKinlay moved out to a nearby flat and stayed with a friend, it was not until October 30 that Josephine was reported missing. When police were contacted and gained access to the flat at 12 Dobbies Lane they found Josephine's body lying on the bathroom floor.

The court heard that McKinlay answered calls to Josephine's mobile from her mother, Margaret Steele, on October 12 and October 14 and on both occasions managed to fob her off. He also told friends that he and Josephine had rowed and she had gone to Birmingham.

Judge Kenneth Maciver QC described the offence as "a serious and brutal murder."

He deferred sentence on McKinlay to the High Court in Edinburgh next month when he will impose a life sentence on him and determine how long he should serve behind bars before being eligible for parole.