MURDER victim Samantha Gosney who was brutally stabbed to death by her boyfriend had told a friend a few months earlier that he "may one day be the death of me".

Adam Brettle, 24, was given a life sentence on Monday

for the murder of 29-year-old Samantha at her home on Swan Avenue, Parr on November 24 last year.

Controlling boyfriend Brettle stabbed her at least 21 times, of which 15 were capable of being fatal, after a row about her going to her grandmother’s funeral.

St Helens Star:

Adam Brettle was given a life sentence today

A few months before her death, she had told a friend she was "concerned about his behaviour and had said he may ‘one day be the death of me’", a remark described as a "prediction that came true in the most horrific way".

The couple had been arguing in the days leading up to Thursday, November 22 when the funeral of Ms Gosney’s grandmother was to take place.

She wanted to go to the funeral and to the reception afterwards but Brettle didn’t want her to.

She did go to the funeral and to the wake, but Brettle rang her constantly while she was there and several witnesses heard him swearing at her down the phone and demanding she come home.

The taxi driver that took her from the funeral told police how she’d been on the phone to Brettle during the journey and was telling him that she was coming home as quickly as possible.

An hour after she got back to the flat, she texted her cousin to tell her Brettle had punched her and given her a black eye.

At 11.40am on Saturday 24 November, Ms Gosney rang 999 and told the call handler that Brettle was assaulting her. She then screamed and said he had a knife and was about to stab her. Her breathing then began to falter and she fell silent.

When the police arrived shortly afterwards they found Ms Gosney’s lifeless body in a pool of blood.

READ MORE > Heartbroken mum of murdered Samantha Gosney speaks of day 'her world fell apart' as killer is jailed

District Crown Prosecutor Keith Drummond of Mersey Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service said: “The paramedics said the scene that met them when they got to the flat was ‘pure butchery’ and they said that the attack appeared to have been ‘frenzied and gruesome’.

“In interview, Brettle tried to claim that Ms Gosney had been abusive and controlling and that her actions had driven him to the assault.

“But the Crown Prosecution Service’s case showed that it was in fact Brettle who was controlling and violent - friends and relatives of Ms Gosney confirmed this.

“The couple had been rowing because she wanted to go to her grandmother’s funeral – hardly an unreasonable wish. But Brettle had told her not to go. When she did, the rows that followed culminated in him stabbing her 21 times.

"Ominously, she had told a friend a few months before her death that she was concerned about his behaviour and had said he may ‘one day be the death of me’.

“That prediction came true in the most horrific way on November 24, 2018.

"He pleaded guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence and that plea saved the witnesses having to give evidence in a trial and the case was brought to a relatively swift conclusion.

“We hope that and the sentence is of comfort to Ms Gosney’s relatives and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”

Brettle must serve a minimum of 19 years less 174 days served already before he can be considered for release.