Drug addict shrugs her shoulders as she's found guilty of Portsmouth murder

Victoria Arthur, of Milton Road, Portsmouth, caught on CCTV outside Shirin kebab house in Kingston Road, Fratton, after the murder. This picture was shown to the jury

Jurors found Victoria Arthur, 44, guilty by unanimous verdict at Salisbury Crown Court after the defendant had denied murdering Nadine Burden in her Toronto Road home on January 28 last year.

The verdict came on the anniversary of Ms Burden’s death and led to an outpouring of emotion from the victim’s family while Arthur showed little emotion but for a shrug of the shoulders as she was taken away.

Jurors did not accept Arthur’s version of events that she was acting in self defence after she stormed round to Ms Burden’s home in her wheelchair while armed with a knife.

Nadine Burden, who was murdered by Victoria Arthur

Arthur was fuming over non-payment of an outstanding debt of £100 to her partner Julie Palmer.

Jurors decided that Arthur, of Hope House, Milton Road, did not act in self-defence and had not suffered a loss of control or had diminished responsibility due to her personality disorder.

Ms Burden, 36, was found slumped in a pool of blood after the frenzied attack by Arthur which resulted in seven stab wounds including a fatal blow to the neck.

Arthur was seen at the Fratton address while a neighbour heard the brutal murder taking place. ‘Have it,’ Arthur was heard saying several times followed by Ms Burden’s desperate screams as she begged for her life when pleading repeatedly ‘please stop’.

Arthur then chillingly left her victim to die before wiping down the door and making off in her wheelchair to Palmer’s Westminster Place address where she had her clothes washed.

When police turned up Arthur denied any knowledge of the attack.

‘What? What? Who have I murdered?’ Arthur said when questioned by police. ‘I haven’t murdered anyone.’

The defendant later accepted stabbing Burden twice while during the trial she conceded all seven blows were from her.

Arthur had sent the victim a series of threatening text messages and voicemails after getting angry over the debt.

‘You’re done for,’ Arthur had warned before going to Ms Burden’s house.

Arthur’s claims she went round to Ms Burden’s home to ‘give her a slap’ were not accepted by the jury nor was her argument that she only pulled out the knife after the victim lunged at her.

‘There was a tussle but after scurrying away could Ms Arthur not have just left? But for whatever reason she got out the knife and used it,’ prosecutor Kerry Maylin said in summing up.

Judge Mrs Justice May had told jurors: ‘This was a serious and tragic incident.’

Arthur will now be sentenced on February 15 alongside Palmer who pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing.