Overview
- Preston Crown Court on Monday gave Bhekisani Matabiswana a life term with a minimum of 16 years and six months, which drops to 15 years and 353 days after time on remand.
- Jurors saw CCTV and heard from witnesses, and a Home Office post-mortem found Luke Harden died from blunt-force injuries to his head and neck after he was punched and stamped while lying defenceless.
- Instead of calling 999, Matabiswana used Harden’s phone to ring relatives and told paramedics he had just found him, a claim the judge called a wicked lie.
- Two days after the killing, he booked a flight to South Africa and was arrested at the Manchester Airport departure gate, with police saying he showed no remorse.
- Following the sentence, police released video showing him telling false accounts at the scene, as Harden’s family described a constant emptiness and the loss of everyday moments with him.