AN alcoholic has dodged a murder charge after pleading guilty to killing his partner.

Barmaid Natalia Czekaj was almost decapitated in a frenzied attack after her partner stabbed her seven times in the neck, back and chest in their Berridge Green, in Edgware, home on January 6.

James Richardson, her boyfriend of four years, was arrested for the 34-year-old’s death on January 7 and appeared at the Old Bailey on April 27.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, as he suffered from alcoholism.

An analysis of Richardson’s blood showed 348mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood at the time - more than four times the drink driving limit.

The prosecution announced today that they would accept the plea and not pursue a murder trial.

He will now be sentenced at the Old Bailey on October 2.

Detective Inspector Simon Pickford, of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Natalia died during a frenzied attack, which may have been fuelled by Richardson's dependency on alcohol.

“He had no choice but to plead guilty to her manslaughter."

Miss Czekaj, a graduate from technology college, had worked as a barmaid at The Alliance pub in West Hampstead which raised more than £8,000 to repatriate her body to her family in Poland.