A plumber who nearly decapitated a barmaid with a breadknife has avoided a murder trial - because he is addicted to alcohol.

James Richardson, 35, will only face a manslaughter charge after the prosecution accepted a diagnosis of alcohol dependency syndrome.

Richardson, of Berridge Green, Edgware, north London, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his Polish girlfriend Natalia Czekaj in January this year.

Prosecutor Tim Cray QC accepted his plea of diminished responsibility after a medical report recognised alcoholism as a medical condition.

[link to news.sky.com]