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A boyfriend who killed his vulnerable partner by using a wooden broom handle to inflict internal injuries has been found guilty of her murder.

Carl Silcox, 45, called police from a phone box after saying he had woken up to find girlfriend Adell Cowan, 43, dead in bed.

Police arrived at their flat in Dol yr Eos, Mornington Meadows, Caerphilly, in the early hours of October 18, 2020.

Cox had denied the brutal murder and the harrowing trial at Cardiff Crown Court detailed the horrific injuries suffered by Adell.

After being found guilty at a hearing on Friday, May 26, Silcox, of Commercial Street, Aberbargoed, will be sentenced on July 7.

As well as serious internal injuries to her rectum, spleen and abdomen, caused by Cox with a broom handle, Adell also suffered external injuries.

A post mortem found she had also suffered bruising and swelling to her face, her head, and her neck. There were 13 rib fractures, five posterior rib fractures, and fractures to her back.

The court had been told Adell was vulnerable and was in poor health because of alcohol dependency.

After the guilty verdict, Recorder of Cardiff Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Silcox: “You need to understand of course that this will only go towards the length of the minimum term of the life sentence you will serve so you’ll be remanded in custody until then.”

Addressing the victim’s family and friends in court, she added: “It will undoubtedly have been very difficult for you to listen to the evidence throughout the course of these proceedings, but you have done so without causing any interruption or disruption. Thank you.”

Following her death, Adell, was described by her family as “bubbly” and a “much-loved sister, auntie, niece and friend to many”.

They said: “She was bubbly, sociable and well-known in the community.

“She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.”