Jermaine Pearman was this afternoon handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of his estranged girlfriend Shakeya DeRoza, and will not be eligible for release for at least 25 years.He stabbed the 23-year-old prison officer at her home on Paynter Lane, Sandys, on July 10 2009. She had two young children, one of them by him.Pearman, 37, who has previous convictions for stalking, sexual assault and unlawful carnal knowledge, had a history of physical violence against Ms DeRoza.The court heard she left him for good prior to the murder, but Pearman continued to call her – on one occasion 90 times in a day.Jailing Pearman this afternoon, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves said: “This was a stabbing incident of a young lady by a controlling defendant who not only has a history of physically abusing her but, together with some of the other aggravating circumstances, he by his record, has a history of sexually assaulting women.”He added later in his remarks: “In all the circumstances this court finds the defendant to be a dangerous one who must not only be substantially punished for this barbarous murder but from whom the women of this society must be protected.“It is necessary that he receive a very long sentence and that he should not be released from imprisonment for a very long time.“He will need, I think, substantial remediation with convincing success before he is released into society again.“The court will accept the prosecution's submission that his minimum time to be served before eligibility for the consideration of parole be 25 years.”During an earlier court hearing, prosecutor Carrington Mahoney said the "brutal and sadistic" killing was the culmination of a series of brutal attacks Pearman inflicted on Ms DeRoza.The prosecutor said on the day of the murder, Pearman broke into the victim's home, had "non-consensual" sex with her and stabbed her multiple times.Ms DeRoza suffered two wounds to her neck, one of which pierced her jugular vein, and one to her heart, as well as a wound to her right hand.This afternoon, the judge said he accepted the prosecution account that Pearman broke into Ms DeRoza's home uninvited before the attack.She had written in her personal diary that he had raped her before, and prosecutors said evidence of duct tape and semen proved he'd done it again that day.“I find there was sexual contact of an aggravated nature,” said the judge, in his sentencing remarks.He also rejected suggestions made by defence lawyer John Perry QC that Ms DeRoza had also been armed with a knife, and that she slashed Pearman's neck during a fight.The defence suggested Pearman had not intended to kill Ms DeRoza, but the judge said this suggestion was “wholly implausible.”Pearman declined to address the court before sentencing, and both his family and Ms DeRoza's family declined to speak to the media afterwards.