A man killed his girlfriend then watched football on TV as her dead body lay beside him.

William Marshall attacked sports therapist Jennifer Edwards at her home at Deas Wharf in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in June last year.

Marshall went on to take cash from the 45-year-old's bank account.

Several days later, Marshall dialled 999 claiming he had found his girlfriend dead.

A judge heard how he had earlier been spotted casually watching TV while Ms Edwards' body was lying in the flat.

Marshall, 43, of Cowdenbeath, was arrested following a large-scale police investigation.

He appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday to admit culpable homicide.

It emerged Marshall had previously been convicted of attacking Ms Edwards, who had told a friend she feared he would kill her one day.

The court also heard that during the couple's five-year relationship, a total of 84 "domestic incidents" were logged by police.

Ms Edwards, who had moved to Scotland from New Zealand in 2000, was a sports therapist at a number of gyms before working from home.

In 2014, Marshall was fined after being convicted of assaulting Jennifer to her injury.

Prosecutor Keith O'Mahony said: "Numerous witnesses speak of Miss Edwards complaining about Marshall's violence.

"He also made an admission to a family member that he had given her a black eye.

"In March 2015, she told a friend that she was frightened he might kill her one day."

Marshall pleaded guilty to killing Jennifer by "inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body by means unknown" between June 8 and June 14, 2015.

During those dates, Ms Edwards did not turn up for a dinner reservation for her birthday.

Marshall was meantime captured on CCTV making a number of cash withdrawals using her bank card. On June 13, the killer was then spotted sitting in her flat.

Mr O'Mahony: "A neighbour could see through the living room window that he was watching television.

"It was noted this coincided with the live broadcast of a well publicised football game."

Scotland played Ireland that evening in a European Championship qualifier in Dublin.

It was the next day Marshall dialled 999 insisting he had "come home" and found Jennifer "was not breathing".

Paramedics arrived to discover the mother lying dead on a bedroom floor wearing just underwear.

A mirrored wardrobe was smashed and blood appeared to be covered up with magazines.

Marshall claimed he had not seen his girlfriend since June 12.

Asked about the blood, he said: "She must have got sick in here and crawled through to the bedroom."

Ms Edwards' death was initially treated as unexplained but police detained Marshall in September 2015 following a lengthy inquiry.

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Edwards had suffered bleeding on the brain.

It was found she had "sustained a number of blunt force injuries" but that the "exact mechanism" could not be determined.

Mr O'Mahony: "Death was placed at two to four days prior to her discovery."

Marshall originally faced a murder allegation before prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the reduced charge on Thursday.

He had also been accused of repeatedly assaulting his lover between October 2010 and June 2015.

This included claims he threw Jennifer against a wall, hit her head against a kitchen worktop and tried to strike her with a knife. A not guilty plea was accepted for that charge.

Gordon Martin, defending Marshall, said his memory of the fatal attack is that he recalled pushing his girlfriend, causing her to bang her head.

Judge Lady Rae questioned that, stating: "That does not seem consistent to the [guilty] plea to me."

Detective Inspector David Pinkney said: "Jennifer was a highly intelligent and articulate woman who was well regarded in her local community.

"Despite these attributes, Jennifer still became a victim of domestic abuse. Her death shows that anyone can become affected by such violence and behaviour and that it happens in all sections of society.

"I want to thank Jennifer's family for their support throughout this period and I hope that Marshall's conviction will give them the closure they need to move forward with their lives."

Chief superintendent Barry McEwan of National Safer Communities added: "Tackling the scourge of domestic abuse in our communities is a complex issue not only for Police Scotland but for our partner agencies. By its nature, it is a largely hidden crime that mainly occurs behind closed doors and in private.

"I would urge anyone who is the victim of domestic abuse to come forward. All complaints received are thoroughly investigated by dedicated enquiry teams, who provide specialist support to victims and target offenders to bring them to justice."

Marshall's bail was revoked and he was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing next month.