A MAN has been jailed for life for the barbaric murder of his girlfriend and the attempted murder of two men.

Robert Massey, 43, of Piele Road, Haydock pleaded guilty to murdering Jaki Forrest.

Today he was sentenced to serve a minimum of 28 years in prison by a judge Liverpool Crown Court.

Police were called to a property on Piele Road, Haydock on the morning of Wednesday August 31 this year to a report of a concern for safety of 49-year-old Jacqueline.

Paramedics attended but Jaki had died at the scene.

The cause of death was given as blunt force trauma to the head and manual asphyxiation by strangulation or suffocation.

A man in his 30s was also found close to the scene with injuries that were not life threatening.

Massey also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of two men, Anthony Murphy and Graham Roberts.

Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Allison Woods said: “This was a truly shocking and brutal assault which led to the tragic death of Jacqueline Forest in her own home.

“Nobody can begin to understand the impact the circumstances and fact of her sudden death has had on her family and friends.

“Nothing can bring Jacqueline back but I hope that the prison sentence Massey must now serve will give them a sense of justice and allow them to finally move on with their lives.

“Merseyside Police continues to do everything it can to tackle all violence against women and girls and we will do everything in our power to support victims, target perpetrators and reduce violence by ensuring victims of domestic abuse feel believed and supported when they report offending to us.

“Domestic abuse is a complex issue and can take many forms. It can be psychological, financial, sexual, emotional and physical and we want to raise awareness of the support that is available to anyone who is or has experienced domestic abuse or has been affected by it so that nobody else has to suffer or silence or go through what they have been through.

“We work closely with local domestic support organisations, local authorities, safeguarding teams and charities to ensure that services and ongoing support are available, including access to refuges.

“We have a number of specialist departments within the police to investigate these crimes but it’s important that we all work together to support survivors and collectively work to prevent these crimes occurring in the first place by raising awareness.”