A STRATTON man has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to murdering his former partner and her son with an axe, police said.

Michael Kelly, of Hatch Road, - who will serve a minimum of 30 years - snapped because he could not deal with the crumbling of his relationship with Sally Cox a month earlier.

Wearing a gruesome horror mask, Kelly used an axe to kill 43-year-old Ms Cox and her son, 22-year-old Martin Faulkner, at the house they shared in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Kelly, 46, was arrested by police hours after the bodies were found in Mold Crescent, Oxon, on December 13 last year.

Today at Oxford Crown Court Kelly admitted two counts of murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Thames Valley Police said.

Detectives believe Ms Cox's daughter Amy, 19 at the time, and another girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would also have fallen victim to Kelly had they not managed to escape while the attacks were going on.

Amy jumped from a first-floor bedroom window, suffering serious injuries as a result, after her brother stepped between her and Kelly.

In a statement issued through police after the case, relatives of the victims said it was a "sad and meaningless loss".

They said: "Today has seen justice done for Sally and Martin, although no sentence will ever be long enough for the hurt and suffering that he has put the family through, not least of all the suffering that Sally and Martin went through.

"The family would also like to thank Thames Valley Police for their help and support through this sad and meaningless loss."