Man guilty of model's 'frenzied and cowardly' murder

A "remorseless killer" who carried out a "frenzied and cowardly" attack on a model before trying to "paint himself as the Good Samaritan" who had come across an injured man lying in the street has been convicted of his murder.

Luke Harden, 36, died on Newchurch Road in Bacup, Lancashire, shortly after midnight on 1 November.

Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, did not know his victim but both had attended a Halloween party at Rosemount Working Men's Club in the town that night.

Matabiswana, from Bacup, denied murder but was convicted after the judge at Preston Crown Court accepted a majority verdict from jurors. He will be sentenced at the same court on Monday.

The trial heard how Matabiswana, of St James Street, tried to flee the UK and was arrested at Manchester Airport two days after the attack.

Lancashire Police said Harden was one of the DJs booked for a Halloween fancy dress party at the Rosemount club on Huttock End Lane in Stacksteads which Matabiswana had also coincidentally attended.

At 23:46 GMT on 31 October, Matabiswana departed the venue with his associates while Harden left using a different exit, police said.

CCTV footage captured the movements of both groups as they walked through various streets towards Newchurch Road.

Matabiswana's group was ahead of Harden, who was walking alone.

Matabiswana, also known as Nick, and a woman he was with separated from their group on Clough Street at 23:51.

When they reached Newchurch Road at 23:58 there was an interaction with Harden.

A short time later Harden was punched and then either kicked and/or stamped on by Matabiswana while he lay defenceless on the ground, police said.

Harden had no defensive wounds on his hands or arms, and there were no marks on his hands to suggest he was the aggressor, the force added.

Just after midnight Matabiswana was captured on CCTV, with his girlfriend appearing to be tugging at him as if he was attempting to leave the scene.

It was in the two-minute period before this that Harden was fatally attacked, police said.

Rather than attempt to help Harden by administering first aid or ringing for an ambulance, Matabiswana used the model's phone to call the victim's friends and then his family to tell them he was on the floor, police said.

At 00:06, a member of the public came on to Newchurch Road and saw Harden lying on the pavement and Matabiswana's friend kneeling next to him with his head in her hands.

Noticing Matabiswana was on the phone, he asked him numerous times if he had called for an ambulance but he did not reply.

The member of the public called for an ambulance himself and, along with Matabiswana's girlfriend, administered first aid to an unresponsive Harden.

Paramedics arrived just after 00:20 and provided first aid to Harden, police said.

Matabiswana lied to the paramedics, claiming he had seen Harden fall and then struggle to breathe.

He then told them he had put his victim into the recovery position.

At 00:35, police officers on patrol arrived at the scene.

Matabiswana told the officers he came across Harden lying on the floor while walking home from the club.

He falsely claimed he used Harden's phone to call for an ambulance and that he had also telephoned Rawtenstall Accident and Emergency department.

The court heard Harden was pronounced dead at the scene at 01:17.

He suffered swelling to the brain and back of the head, extensive facial bruising with cuts to the left lower eyelid and to the lips, patterned bruising to the left cheek, fractures to his nose, jaw and larynx, and bruising to the neck, arms and shoulder.

It was later established he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck following an assault.

Shortly before 02:00, Matabiswana and his girlfriend were arrested on suspicion of murder.

When Matabiswana arrived at custody, he had grazing on the knuckles of his left-hand and swelling around the ring finger of his right hand which caused him pain when touched.

He later claimed in his police interview the injuries were old and not painful.

On 2 November Matabiswana and his friend were released under investigation.

The following day, Matabiswana was tracked by the authorities at Manchester Airport trying to board a flight to South Africa and was arrested.

In his subsequent police interview, Matabiswana accepted he had struck Harden but claimed it was in self-defence because he had been punched first.

He denied using his feet to assault Harden.

His girlfriend was acquitted.

Det Insp Pete MacDonald of Lancashire Police said: "Following a brief encounter with his victim, Matabiswana engaged in a frenzied and cowardly attack – continuing to attack Luke whilst he lay defenceless on the floor.

"He then made no effort to help Luke, instead choosing to contact his family and friends in a sordid and sinister bid to paint himself as the Good Samaritan who had simply come across an injured man on the pavement.

"He continued these callous lies to Luke's distressed friends and family, as their loved one lay dying on the ground yards away from them."

MacDonald said Matabiswana had shown "no remorse" and made several efforts to evade justice throughout the case - attempting to leave the scene before police arrived and then by booking a flight to Johannesburg.

"Thankfully he never made that flight," he said.

"Thankfully a jury has held Matabiswana accountable for his actions by finding him guilty of Luke's murder," adding that it meant Harden's loved ones had got "the justice they craved".

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