A former soldier who murdered his estranged life by stabbing her 12 times as their children slept upstairs has been jailed for life, reports Daily Mail.

Erhan Havaleoglu, 35, killed 29-year-old social care worker Leighanne Cameron at their former home in West Lothian.

Their four-year-old daughter and son, aged 18 months, were asleep upstairs at the time of the attack in October 2015. 

The High Court in Glasgow had previously heard that the marriage had ended approximately five months earlier. 

Although the separation was not amicable Leighanne relied upon Havaleoglu to look after the children so that she could work.

It was just after she arrived home from work that evening that Havaleoglu carried out the brutal and unprovoked assault and knife attack. 

Cameron was stabbed 10 times in the neck and twice in the back.  

After leaving her dying, Havaleoglu drove to Edinburgh where police believe he ditched the weapon and clothes he was wearing, which were never found.

But a speck of her blood was found on his shoes and on the front door of his flat - which she had never been to.

Her body was found by her lover Philip Kilkenny, who she had been having an affair with for six months before she split with Havaleoglu, the court heard.

Mr Kilkenny, 42, found Leighanne's body lying in a pool of blood and called the police, telling them Havaleoglu had 'told her she'd never get to love another man'.

Havaleoglu was then arrested but denied murdering his wife five months after they split up, instead blaming the killing on Kilkenny.

But a jury saw through his lies and took just under seven hours to find him guilty, by majority, of the 'brutal' murder at the High Court in Paisley.

More than a dozen friends and family of Leighanne were in court to hear the verdict, punching the air and shouting 'yes!' as he was convicted. 

The former soldier was told today the he must serve at least 20 years in jail after being given a mandatory life term.

Speaking following the sentencing, Nicky Patrick, Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime, said: 'This was a terrible and violent crime that has left two children without a mother and family and friends devastated at the loss of a loved one. However the proper investigation of the crime and effective prosecution of the case to the jury has ensured that he now faces a very substantial prison sentence.'