An Iraq war veteran who stabbed his on-off girlfriend  to death at his flat in Clapham, south London, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years at the Old Bailey.

Desmond Sylva, 41, knifed Simone Kerr, 31, more than 70 times in his flat on 15 August last year. 

The former soldier, who served in Iraq and Kosovo, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, citing depression.

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.

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.

Sylva attacked her in bed with a 20cm kitchen knife, slashing her throat and repeatedly stabbing her face and neck.

Afterwards, he called 999 and said: “I’ve just committed a murder. I’m ex-Army and I’ve got lots of mental health issues.”