A MAN has been found guilty of brutally murdering his casual girlfriend with a broom handle.

It took a jury just over three hours to convict alcoholic Carl Silcox, 45, of killing Adell Cowan.

The victim was found with horrific internal injuries in a bedroom at his Caerphilly flat nearly three years ago following a savage assault.

The 43-year-old was discovered by paramedics and the police during the early hours of the morning of Sunday, October 18, 2020 after he’d called 999.

Prosecutor Gordon Cole KC told Cardiff Crown Court Silcox had murdered her at his home in Dol Yr Eos in the Mornington Meadows area of Caerphilly.

MORE NEWS: Drunken woman put neighbours’ lives in danger after she set fire to her flat

He said: “Miss Cowan suffered severe internal injuries we say were caused by a brush handle.”

After the verdict, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told him: “Now you have been convicted of murder, the sentence of course must be one of life imprisonment, but I have to determine the term that can be served before you are able to apply to the parole board for release.

“I'm not going to sentence you therefore today, I'm going to sentence you on July 7.

“Although I'm ordering a pre-sentence report 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.”

After Silcox, latterly of Commercial Street, Aberbargoed was taken to the cells, Judge Lloyd-Clarke addressed the victim’s family and friends who were in court.

She said: “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 all very much.”

During the trial jurors have heard how the couple Cowan would only meet up around twice a month.

Silcox, giving evidence in his defence, claimed he would never have harmed Miss Cowan and loved her.

He said: “I think I loved her more. She used to say we were like soulmates.”

The court heard how Silcox and Miss Cowan first met while they were employed at Poundland over a decade ago.

He worked as a shelf stacker while she was on the tills.