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		</div><p>An Iraq war veteran has been jailed for life after stabbing a Britain’s Got Talent finalist to death in a violent rage.</p>
<p>Desmond Sylva, 41, knifed his on-off girlfriend Simonne Kerr, 31, more than 70 times at his flat in Clapham, south London, on August 15 last year.</p>
<p>The former soldier, who served in Iraq and Kosovo, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, citing depression.</p>
<p>Sentencing Sylva at the Old Bailey after he was convicted of murder, Judge Wendy Joseph QC handed him a term of life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years.</p>
<p>Judge Joseph said Sylva carried out a “sustained and ferocious attack”, adding: <em>“There is only one sentence and that is life imprisonment.”</em></p>
<p>The judge said: <em>“You will never be released unless and until the Parole Board permits it.</em></p>
<p><em>“The board will not permit it until you are no longer a danger to the public.”</em></p>
<p>Due to time served on remand, she told Sylva he will be able to apply for parole in 20 years and 45 days.</p>
<p>Judge Joseph told Sylva: <em>“What you have done and the grief it has caused, and will continue to cause far into the future, is immeasurable.”</em></p>
<p>She said: <em>“Simonne was simply a lovely person much loved by her family.”</em></p>
<p>The judge added: <em>“Simonne was in your home undressed and in your bed and was about as vulnerable as a person can be.”</em></p>
<p>She said it was clear that Sylva has a “dreadful and ungovernable” temper, adding: “You killed Simonne Kerr because you are a man of violent disposition prone to outbursts of violent temper.”</p>
<p>During the trial, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC told jurors it was an all too familiar case of “sexual desire, appalling violence and desperate lies”.</p>
<p>He said: “He wanted to restart a sexual relationship with Simonne Kerr. When he did not get what he wanted, he could not control his anger and he exploded.”</p>
<p>The judge said on Wednesday that messages Sylva sent to Ms Kerr were “sexually charged”.</p>
<p>Ms Kerr, whose six-year-old son Kavele tragically died of sickle cell disease, shot to fame in the NHS choir B Positive on the ITV show Britain’s Got Talent.</p>
<p>She met Sylva through dating app Tinder and arranged to visit his flat after finishing her shift at Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital on the morning of August 15.</p>
<p>Sylva attacked her in bed with a 20cm kitchen knife, slashing her throat and repeatedly stabbing her face and neck.</p>
<p>Afterwards, he called 999 and said: <em>“I’ve just committed a murder. I’m ex-Army and I’ve got lots of mental health issues.”</em></p>
<p>Sylva had a history of depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder – but also had problems controlling his temper, jurors heard.</p>
<p>Before he joined the Army, Jamaican-born Sylva had cut his neck while working in a bakery.</p>
<p>The divorced father-of-one served 10 years in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers before being discharged on medical grounds.</p>
<p>In 2010, Sylva throttled his mother Patricia King, telling her repeatedly: <em>“You’re dead,”</em> jurors heard.</p>
<p>Ms King reported the assault to police but later withdrew the complaint because he had been depressed and suicidal.</p>
<p>On August 9 last year, Sylva was admitted to hospital after he took an overdose.</p>
<p>The day before the killing, the security guard told his brother Damian, a serving Signalman, he feared he would kill himself or someone else.</p>
<p>A statement from Ms Kerr’s mother Amoy Johnson was read by Mr Glasgow before the judge passed sentence.</p>
<p>She described her daughter as a “beautiful butterfly” who was a “great mother to her son” and “loved people”.</p>
<p>The statement described Ms Kerr as “a kind hearted loving child who was full of life and laughter. A shining light”.</p>
<p>Ms Kerr worked hard and was successful in her studies, the statement said.</p>
<p>“Her sisters were her biggest cheerleaders,” it said, adding: <em>“They are crushed, traumatised and forever left with the pain and a few hollow hole of Simmone.”</em></p>
<p>The statement said:<em> “It is not easy for me to see such a shining light, a soul with so much treasure viciously snuffed out for no reason.</em></p>
<p><em>“My daughter’s death has left us with unbearable sadness and unimaginable grief.</em></p>
<p><em>“She was callously murdered by a vindictive and manipulative man.”</em></p>
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