A man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after subjecting a man to days of prolonged abuse.
Matthew Jonathan, 39, filmed himself torturing 54-year-old Jamie Gawler to death while hurling homophobic slurs.
Jonathan then used his victim’s bank card to buy alcohol while Gawler was lying in his flat.
Jamie’s brother discovered him dead in his flat in Hereford after becoming concerned for his welfare.
He was first alerted to Jamie’s danger after calling his phone on January 18.
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It was answered by a police officer who found it at Porth railway station, along with Jamie’s bank cards as well as those of Jonathan.
Jonathan had experienced a ‘medical episode’ on the platform when the items fell out of his pocket.
Jonathan was arrested on January 19 and was charged with murder.
After pleading guilty, he was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.
Jamie’s family said: ‘We would like to thank the West Mercia Police and prosecution team for their dedication and support in bringing this case to its conclusion.
‘The last eight months have been extremely traumatic for our family as we try, in our own way, to process the loss of Jamie, our son, brother, uncle and friend to many.
‘Our lives have been changed forever and today has been another difficult day, having to revisit what happened, but we are glad that some justice has been achieved.
‘Jamie will be forever in our hearts and remembered as the kind, funny and gentle man that he was.’
DCI Gareth Lougher said: ‘We really welcome today’s sentencing of Mathew Jonathan.
‘He will now serve a significant period of time in prison and whilst it will never bring Jamie back to his loved ones, hopefully it will bring some closure towards being an unimaginably difficult time for them.
‘Thankfully, Jonathan pleaded guilty to the murder and that saved his family going through and reliving the ordeal that Jamie went through in the final days of his life.
‘I would also like to thank my investigation team who worked tirelessly, through some extremely difficult circumstances, to bring about today’s sentencing.
‘The investigation involved various teams from a number of forces who all worked together to bring Jonathan to justice.’
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