A woman has admitted killing her boyfriend by hitting him with a bottle of bourbon she had bought him for his birthday.

Alexis Cook attacked James McGrogan on the day he turned 54 in March this year.

The 32 year-old was later heard stating: "I hit him with a Jim Beam bottle. I think I gave him a bad one this time."

Cook had been due to stand trial for murder at the High Court in Glasgow, but on Wednesday prosecutors accepted her guilty plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide.

The killing occurred at Mr McGrogan's flat in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, on March 13.

The court heard the victim had been celebrating his birthday with his mother and Cook, who he had been dating for around two years.

Later in the evening, the couple began to argue, with a neighbour hearing them engaged in a "blazing row" around 8pm.

Shortly afterwards, Cook texted her sister claiming: "Answer your phone. I'm in big trouble."

The killer then went to a nearby flat where blood was spotted on her pyjama bottoms and head.

She confessed to people there: "I hit him with a Jim Beam bottle. It was his birthday today. I hit him twice. I'd bought a bottle of it for him for his birthday."

She claimed her and Mr McGrogan, who worked as a butcher, had been "fighting".

Cook went on: "I think I gave him a bad one this time. I left him lying in the hall."

It was Cook herself who later dialled 999. James was found by police lying under a duvet in his flat.

He was found to have "significant head trauma" with a large amount of broken glass in the flat.

The cause of death was listed as blunt force head injury.

Donald Findlay QC, defending, said: "I wish to make clear that Miss Cook has at no point shied away from accepting responsibility for the death."

Lord Mulholland deferred sentencing until November for reports and remanded Cook in custody.