Jailed: Man who beat carer to a pulp because he disliked gays given minimum life sentence of 23 years

Alfred Mattox died two weeks after he was kicked and beaten by acquaintance Vitalie Tanga during a drink's party to mark Russia's VE Day, after asking him to leave his Hallet Drive home in Merridale in Wolverhampton.

He and his partner Vadimas Astraskevicius were knocked unconscious during the incident on May 10, 2021. While another guest Sergey Koviazin was so drunk he was incoherent, but uninjured during the incident.

The cause of Mr Mattox's death was given as multiple organ failure following traumatic brain injuries.

Mr Astraskevicius, also known as Nicodim, suffered a head wound which required hospital treatment and recovered.

Tanga, 40, a Moldovan national, was found guilty of murder and found guilty of assault occasioning him actual bodily harm in unanimous verdicts after a jury trial last month at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Sentencing him on Friday Judge Michael Chambers KC said: "I'm satisfied so as to be sure and according to Crown and King that this violent assault went far beyond simply a reaction to a sexual advance.

"The case was opened to the jury on the basis that he was motivated by hostility to Alfred Mattox's sexual orientation and all the evidence is consistent with that.

"Mr Mattox was gay. Your antipathy to his sexual orientation is disclosed first of all by what you said immediately when the police arrive and during interview."