Man who murdered young mum in car park jailed

A man who stabbed his girlfriend to death in a disused car park in an "explosion of violence" has been jailed.

Jason Flore, 26, who was originally from Mauritius, stabbed 19-year-old Stephanie Marie through the heart in Crawley last August.

Judge Jeremy Gold KC told him at his sentencing: "I have no doubt that you had formed the intention to kill her in that explosion of violence fuelled by anger and alcohol."

Flore, a rough sleeper, denied murder, but he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Hove Crown Court.

In a victim impact statement Ms Marie's mother, Cathy, said she cries for her daughter every day and thinks of her all the time.

The court heard how the family came to England from Mauritius for a better education when her daughter was 13.

They had lived in a council house in Crawley, and Stephanie was learning English at school.

She was described as a happy child who enjoyed sport and aspired to be a hairdresser. But at 14, she met Flore, who was then 21, and fell under his influence, the court heard.

In August 2024, Stephanie was living in a tent with Flore in a disused car park.

On 17 August, the couple attended a barbecue, where they had drunk a substantial amount of alcohol, the court heard.

Early the following morning, commuters noticed the couple behaving aggressively towards each other.

Flore used a knife to stab his girlfriend in the chest, puncturing her heart and aorta, the largest artery in the body.

Judge Gold KC said Flore initially claimed Stephanie had stabbed herself before he then tried to shift the blame onto others despite "overwhelming evidence" of his own guilt.

Flore refused to appear for sentencing.

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