This is the face of the man who "flipped" and strangled his wife when she said she was leaving him for someone else.

Gary Brockwell has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Gaynor, at their Forestdale home after the 46-year-old announced she had been having an affair and was leaving him that night.

The 48-year-old of Osward, Court Wood Lane, was jailed for life on Tuesday March 6 and will serve a minimum of 12 years before he is considered for parole.

The Old Bailey heard the pair, who were childhood sweethearts, had a turbulent on-off relationship and repeatedly split up before getting back together again.

At the start of the trial Brockwell denied murder, but admitted manslaughter on the grounds he lost control.

He maintained he did not intend to kill his wife but a jury disagreed, finding him guilty after just one day of deliberations.

The court heard the couple, who had been married 26 years, spent the evening of Friday October 7, last year with friends at the Coach House pub in Chelsham.

When they returned to their home the pair danced before Mrs Brockwell broke the news.

In a taped police interview Brockwell said: "She came down in a dressing gown and we had another dance. Then she just lays it on me, "I'm seeing someone and she's gone to touch me as if to console me.

"She said "I love you, you are too good for me- by the way I'm seeing someone, I'm leaving you. I reacted and just grabbed her by the dressing gown.

"I forced her down and just held on to her. I honestly thought I had let go. She's coughing and I think she's trying to pull my hands off.

"When I got off- I've no idea of time, it seemed a while but I don't know in minutes or seconds- there was a massive sigh."

Brockwell estimated the time of the killing was about 1am, two hours later he called his son Garry to tell him what had happened.

When he arrived at the house the pair shared a cigarette and a beer before Garry called 999 at about 5.25am.

Mrs Brockwell was pronounced dead just over ten minutes later.

CPS London lawyer, Aisling Hosein said: "From the start of this prosecution Gary Brockwell admitted strangling his wife Gaynor but he said he did not mean to harm her.

"It was for the Crown Prosecution Service to prove that he had intended to kill her or cause her grievous bodily harm and to disprove the defence of loss of self control.

"The jury by their verdict was satisfied that he did intend to cause his wife, at the very least, grievous bodily harm when he strangled her."