Overview

• Worcester Crown Court imposed a life sentence with a 32-year minimum after Matthew Jonathan, 39, pleaded guilty to murder in April.
• Video and photo files on Jonathan’s device showed the prolonged assaults and homophobic abuse, while he also used the victim’s phone and bank cards.
• Jamie Gawler, 54, was found dead on January 18 in his Hereford flat with blunt force injuries after days of violence that began shortly after he was last seen on January 12.
• Jonathan fled by train toward Cardiff, got off at Porth, and was arrested there on January 19 by South Wales Police before being transferred to Hereford.
• West Mercia Police highlighted cross-force collaboration with the CPS, and Gawler’s family thanked investigators as they paid tribute to a kind and gentle loved one.