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Man jailed for life over 'religious' killing

A man who murdered the mother of his 13 children by stabbing her 17 times did so to save her from sin, the WA Supreme Court was told today.

Kenneth Pickett was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum 20 year period behind bars after pleading guilty to the brutal murder of Andrea Pickett outside a North Beach house in January.

Pickett had been released from jail only two months earlier after twice breaching a violence restraining order taken out by Ms Pickett and also threatening to kill her.

The court was told Pickett was an extremely religious man who killed his former wife after the breakdown of their 23 year marriage because he thought she was in another relationship and that went against his interpretation of the bible.

Justice Peter Blaxell said Pickett who is a Jehovah's Witness continued to justify the killing by saying he saved his former wife from sin.

The court was told on the night of the murder Pickett broke into a house in North Beach and chased his former wife outside the home before beginning to stab her as she held her three-year-old child in her arms.

Outside court members of Ms Pickett’s extended family criticised the system that allowed multiple VROs to be broken and ending up in the tragic death.