THE girlfriend of murder victim Carlton Alexander says he will forever live on in her and her three children’s hearts after his killer was jailed for 20 years without parole.

Carlton Alexander, 23, who lived in Leigh his entire life, was stabbed twice at around 4am on December 13 and died in hospital an hour-and-a-half later. The aspiring musician’s girlfriend Keshia Seaton broke down in tears as a jury at Manchester Crown Court found Ross Ashcroft guilty of his murder.

They began dating two years ago and the former Bedford High School pupil was known to her children as ‘Daddy Carlton’, with the youngest insisting on making him a Father’s Day card recently and sending it to him in a balloon.

Miss Seaton, 30, sat in the public gallery throughout the trial, clutching a small bag containing Mr Alexander’s ashes for the last two days as she waited for the jury to make their decision.

She said: “He stayed with me a lot of the time. Every day he was taking the children to school or nursery, learning with them, taking them to swimming lessons and being there for them when I was working.

“He had no children but treated Bailey, nine, Star, four, and Cruiz, three, as his own.

“He had done wrong in the past but he was trying to put it behind him and build a new future with me and the kids.

“He was a kind person and would do anything for people he loved.

“Justice has been done and we just want to move forward now.

“He will live on in our hearts.”

The court heard that the couple had a row on December 12 after Mr Alexander had given Miss Seaton a lift to her work’s Christmas party at Bolton’s Macron Stadium.

He then sent her a text stating ‘you are single and you can do what you want love’.

After the party Miss Seaton met up with three old male school friends – Ian Parr, Damien Washbrook and Lee Higgins – at The Corner Club in Bolton.

She invited them and Ashcroft, who was with them, back to her home in Bolton, where Ashcroft and Mr Parr asked Miss Seaton to wash their T-shirts.

When Mr Alexander returned to the house at 3.30am he saw the two men with no shirts on.

The court was told that Miss Seaton explained she was doing nothing wrong but Mr Alexander became angry, refused offers to stay and have a drink and left the house.

He returned half-an-hour later and as the four guests left he attacked 31-year-old Ashcroft with a dumbbell, hitting him over the head.

The jury were told that the four men hung around outside the house before being chased down the road by Mr Alexander.

But Ashcroft stopped running, turned around and was hit in the head again by Mr Alexander.

Ashcroft, who had armed himself with a knife from Miss Seaton’s kitchen, stabbed Mr Alexander twice, with the second of the fatal blows causing a 22cm deep wound.

Ashcroft, of no fixed address, and the other three men left the scene and he told his friends: “I think I have stabbed him.”

But, giving evidence, Mr Higgins said he did not believe him, saying: “I thought he was bigging himself up because he had been beaten up.”

After the stabbing Mr Alexander was rushed to the Salford Royal Hospital, where he was certified dead at 5.30am.

The next morning Mr Higgins, Mr Parr and Mr Washbrook learned of Mr Alexander’s death via social media and went to the police.

Ashcroft was arrested the same day after being found hiding in an outhouse.

He denied murdering Mr Alexander, claiming he had been acting in self-defence.

After being found guilty of murder Ashcroft was sentenced last Wednesday.

Mr Alexander worked road traffic management and gained construction qualifications before developing his interests in music and cooking.

He used the stage name Kilo Carlton and rapped on the record What’s Crackin Then.

“He was very popular and was an up and coming rap artist,” said Trouble, who produced the record.