Meth user jailed for stabbing death

A 51-year-old meth user who stabbed to death his on-again, off-again lover's estranged husband with a kitchen knife has been jailed for 10 years.

Luke Anthony North was sentenced in the West Australian Supreme Court for the manslaughter of 47-year-old Christopher Evans.

The court heard that in September 2012, North stabbed Mr Evans three times in the chest with a 20cm-long kitchen knife during an altercation outside a unit in Scarborough, in Perth's northwest.

About the time of the incident, North had been living on an off with Mr Evans' estranged wife, Lisa.

On the day, despite previous friction between Mr Evans and Lisa, the pair arrived at the unit to have dinner but North pushed him and shouted at him to leave.

The court heard North then approached Mr Evans with the knife because he believed the victim had gone to his work van to retrieve a weapon.

But Mr Evans was actually putting some takeaway food out of the reach of his dog, which was sitting in the front seat.

Faced with the knife, Mr Evans then struck North with a crowbar, breaking his clavicle, before North repeatedly stabbed him.

Justic Lindy Jenkins said the blood trail left by Mr Evans, and the fact North ended up on top of the victim on the driveway, showed North had the better of his adversary during most of the fight.

North's attack on Mr Evans was so forceful that the knife cut through bone and one of the wounds was 18cm deep.

Justice Jenkins said despite having a stable background and no psychological illness, North hadn't led a stable life for years but could have done if he hadn't used drugs.

North was sentenced to 10 years in jail and will be eligible for parole in 2020.

The maximum penalty for manslaughter in WA is life imprisonment.

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