A man who murdered his wife in a horrific and prolonged attack has been given a life sentence.

Matthew Ashill (37) was told he would serve at least 15 years after Leicester Crown Court heard how his wife suffered 80 injuries in an attack which lasted up to 45 minutes.

Judge Michael Pert told him yesterday: "You armed yourself with three different weapons to complete your ghastly mission and it took over half-an-hour for you to complete."

Clare Ashill courageously fought for her life as her husband overpowered her during the ordeal, at their home in Gooding Avenue, Braunstone, Leicester.

He ignored her cries for mercy during the attack, in the early hours of Sunday, March 21.

Ashill, who the court heard was a cross-dresser, stopped only to remove the pink dress he was wearing when it became blood-soaked.

He pleaded guilty to murdering 31-year-old Clare, who suffered 80 injuries, including three fatal knife wounds to her heart.

In a statement after the case, Clare's parents, Roger and Elaine Medway, of Plymouth, said: "Clare had her whole life ahead of her and it was taken away so cruelly.

"She was a lovely vibrant girl with an amazing zest for life.

"Her beautiful smile could light up a whole room. Knowing we'll never see her again has completely shattered our lives and we'll never be the same."

Ashill had gorged himself on drugs and alcohol as he plotted Clare's death throughout the night of Saturday, March 20, as she slept upstairs.

The court heard that Clare had told her best friend in a phone call that day that she had argued with Ashill, who worked at Toyota, near Derby, and had ended the call abruptly when he walked into the room.

At 6.45am on March 21, the Ashills' neighbour was awoken by screams, shouting and groaning sounds from the normally quiet couple's house.

Noises continued until about 7.15am.

Stephen Lowne, prosecuting, said that after Ashill murdered Clare, he carried on drinking and taking drugs.

"He then walked the dog and went to the shops," said Mr Lowne.

"He decided he'd better drive to Bristol and hand himself in at the police station."

At 8.15am on Monday, March 22, Ashill walked into a police station in Bristol saying: "I've killed my wife."

Clare was found with multiple injuries all over her head, body and neck. The cause of death was a combination of head injuries, chest stab wounds and strangulation.

Ashill, a heavy drug user, said in a police interview: "She put up a hell of a fight and I ended up strangling her.

"I don't know why I did it. I was doing coke (cocaine).

"I wasn't going to stop until she was dead."

He said he had taken steroids in the previous two weeks which, when mixed with cocaine, made him short tempered with "dark thoughts".

The couple, who met in Bristol where Clare went to university, had been together for 10 years. They were married in 2008 and moved to Leicester that year.

Clare, an assistant manager at SITA's recycling depot in Shepshed, was fed up with her husband's long-term drug abuse and bizarre lifestyle, said Mr Lowne.

Ashill was a heavy drug user, going on binges for days on end, and spent hundreds of pounds on women's clothing, in which he would go out clubbing.

Mr Lowne said Clare had begun an affair, though there was no evidence that Ashill knew about it.

Rupert Lowe, in mitigation, said Ashill, who had no previous convictions, had not blamed his wife's affair as the reason for killing her, nor had he sought to use it as provocation.

He told the police he had no idea she was seeing anyone else.

Mr Lowe said: "There was no attempt to cover up or hide the crime. He made a confession of extraordinary frankness.

"He said at the end of the interview, 'the poor girl didn't deserve it'. He's extremely remorseful for what he's done to her and her family.

"At the time he committed the offence, he was an absolutely desperate man for a short time because he intoxicated himself into that state."

Sentencing Ashill, the judge told him: "You decided for reasons that only you know, you'd kill her. She lay asleep and defenceless in her bed.

"You went to the back bedroom and picked up a dumbbell and went to where she lay sleeping and struck her repeatedly with it.

"Whilst she was still conscious, you went downstairs and armed yourself with a hammer and attacked her with it, despite her screams and attempts to defend herself.

"Not content with that, you left again and armed yourself with a knife, with which you stabbed her repeatedly.

"And when that wasn't enough, you manually strangled her.

"She suffered 71 blunt injuries and nine stab wounds.

"At no stage, and despite her repeated entreaties, did you reconsider or give up your attempts to kill her."

After the case, senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Andy Lee said: "It's a terrible waste of a young life and a devastating loss for Clare's family.

"Her father said afterwards it didn't matter if Ashill got 500 years, it won't bring his daughter back. It's been a gruelling and a traumatic case to investigate, but Ashill has now got a life sentence to think about what he's done."