by Keith Hunt

A drunken thug who killed his girlfriend in a fit of anger in an alleyway near their Ashford home has been has been jailed for six years.

Steven Brooker admitted manslaughter. He denied murder and was cleared after a trial in November.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how the 42-year-old alcoholic caused Susie Smith fatal internal injuries by kicking her hard in the stomach.

The mother-of-six and grandmother, also known as Beaney, had lived with Brooker for more than three years and both were known as heavy drinkers.

Miss Smith, 50, had been out on April 29 last year and returned to their home at Waterman House, Godfrey Road, to find Brooker was angry because she had been gone so long.

They argued and he assaulted her. He pulled her hair out as he followed her outside and continued the attack in an alleyway, kicking her in the abdomen.

Miss Smith was taken to the William Harvey Hospital but she died soon afterwards.

Denying murder, Brooker claimed he did not mean to kill or cause serious harm.