A LONDON bus driver who told cops he "killed the f***ing b****" after strangling his wife was today jailed for life.

       Keith Bettison was found guilty of murdering his wife Ildiko Bettison last year, after "taunting her in a Punch and Judy voice".

       2

       Keith Bettison, 73, was today jailed Credit: MET Police 2

       Ildiko, 48, died from 'sustained pressure to the neck' Credit: MET Police

       Ildiko, 48, died after Bettison, 73, applied "sustained pressure to the neck" at their home in Chessington, Kingston upon Thames, in October 2020.

       He called police shortly after 1am, telling them: "We’ve had a fight, and I think I’ve killed her. She’s dead."

       Ildiko is said to have confided in a friend that her husband had previously put her in a stranglehold, with his arm around her neck.

       Jurors were told this type of "carotid sleeper hold" could be how Ildiko was choked when she died.

       Emergency services rushed to the scene and found the 48-year-old unresponsive in the bedroom with facial injuries."

       The mum was pronounced dead at the scene.

       When later quizzed by police, Bettison told them: "I killed the f***ing b****, what more do you want to know."

       On the night of the murder the couple had been drinking heavily and had been heard by neighbours arguing loudly inside their house.

       Most read in News

       KILLER BROTHER Teen, 19, admits to killing his 15-year-old sister at caravan park

       CRASH HORROR Girl, 4, dead & three-year-old boy fighting for life after horror crash on M4

       MET CREEP Des O’Connor’s daughter takes legal action after cop called her 'amazingly hot'

       SNOW LOVE LOST Valentine's Day WHITEOUT as vast snowstorm to make UK colder than Finland

       According to MyLondon, the couple's 24-year-old daughter, Zsuzsika, told the court she received a phone call from her father at 1am repeatedly saying: “I’ve killed her, I’ve f***ing killed her."

       At his Old Bailey trial in December, the court heard how Bettison was due to be sacked from Transport for London for gross misconduct.

       The defendant crashed a bus while reversing and left his job before he could be sacked in June 2020.

       A friend of Zsuzsika told the court the couple's relationship had deteriorated after Bettison quit his job in 2020.

       The friend said the arguments and alcohol abuse had escalated in the months leading up to Ildiko's killing.

       And the pandemic caused them to spend more time at home and things "became very difficult", prosecutor Kate Bex QC said.

       Neighbour Debbie May heard a lot of the couple's rows because the walls between their houses were thin, jurors heard.

       Ms Bex said: "Debbie May says that not long before Ilde died, she had fallen down the stairs when she was drunk.

       "She heard the defendant tormenting her by mimicking her in a squeaky Punch and Judy type of voice. She heard him call her a fat cow."

       Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Tunstall said at the time: “This was a needless act of extreme violence fuelled by uncontrolled anger and alcohol.

       “No amount of remorse on the part of Keith Bettison will bring Ildiko back to her family.

       "Due to his actions their extended family has lost them both and our thoughts are with them today.”

       Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Simon Mayo QC paid tribute to Zsuzsika for her "quiet dignity" in the trial.

       She had described her mother as a "loving, kind and caring person" whose personality and behaviour was affected by alcohol, he said.

       The judge told the defendant: "It is apparent to me, notwithstanding what you did

       to her mother, she still cares for you."

       He said Bettison's taunting behaviour towards his wife was cruel, saying: "She did

       not deserve that - she certainly did not deserve to die."

       He went on: "This was a killing which occurred in the heat of the moment. It did not involve a significant degree of premeditation and planning.

       "I am entirely satisfied you were irritated by her behaviour that night and you acted in anger when you strangled her to death."

       He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 14 years.

       How you can get help

       Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:

       Always keep your phone nearby. Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine. If you are in danger, call 999. Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”. Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare. If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone. Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.

       If you are a -victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support -service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.

       Women’s Aid provides a live chat service - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.

       You can also call the freephone 24-hour -National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.