A man has today admitted murdering a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Paul Andrew Knappett, 30, of Wentworth Grove, Hartlepool, will be sentenced this afternoon by Mr Justice Field.
Knappett stabbed Kimberley Bage to death at her mother's home in Troutpool Close, Hartlepool, on April 15.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, but changed his plea when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court this morning.
His barrister, Alistair MacDonald, QC, told the court that Knappett had been unable to remember the circumstances of the death because of a cocktail of drugs he had taken.
Knappett will be given a mandatory life sentence, but Mr Justice Field will set a minimum tariff after hearing evidence from prosecutor Nicholas Campbell, QC, and mitigation from Mr MacDonald.
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