A MAN who callously battered a male model to death while dressed as a clown has been found guilty of murder.
Luke Harden, 36, tragically died shortly after midnight on November 1 having attended a Halloween bash at Rosemount Working Men’s Club in .
Luke Harden, 36, was found to have punched, kicked, and stamped on Credit: SWNS
Bhekisani Matabiswana denied murdering Luke Credit: SWNS
Emergency crews raced to the scene but were unable to save him after he suffered devastating injuries.
Bhekisani Matabiswana, 26, denied murdering the model.
But today a jury at Preston Crown Court found him guilty.
The court heard Matabiswana had been dressed as a clown at the party before launching a savage attack on Mr Harden.
Floral tributes at the scene in the aftermath of Luke Harden’s murder Credit: SWNS
Mourners arrive at the scene to lay flowers Credit: SWNS
Home Office pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said Luke Harden had been subjected to a ‘forceful assault’ Credit: SWNS
Matabiswana was found guilty of murdering Luke after trial Credit: SWNS
Jurors were told he punched, kicked and stamped on the victim, causing catastrophic injuries to his head, face and neck.
The defendant, originally from Zimbabwe and living in Bacup, admitted he lied to emergency services when he claimed he merely found Mr Harden collapsed in the street after a fall.
He accepted punching him around five times but repeatedly denied using his feet to kick and stamp on him.
Matabiswana claimed he acted in self-defence after Mr Harden approached him and his then-partner Natalie Chadwick while they walked home.
He told the court Mr Harden reached towards Natalie’s face and that when he grabbed the model’s arm, Mr Harden turned and punched him.
The defendant claimed he then hit back.
Opening the case, prosecutor Nicholas Rhodes told jurors the attack “must have been so sudden, quick and brutal” that the “drunken” victim had “no chance to defend himself.”
He said Mr Harden was knocked to the floor by punches “so severe he was laid out on the ground” before Matabiswana kicked him in the head, neck and face.
pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said Mr Harden had been subjected to a “forceful assault”.
He concluded many of the injuries were caused by punches, while others were linked to impact from footwear.
Dr Wilson said death may have been caused by cardiac arrest, airway obstruction, facial trauma, impact on the larynx, or a combination of those factors.
The court heard there were no defensive injuries on Mr Harden and “no injuries of any significance whatsoever” on Matabiswana.
During the trial, Matabiswana repeatedly claimed he had tried to save the victim’s life by carrying out CPR.
He said he knelt beside him, checked for a pulse and began chest compressions before others took over.
But witness Alan Williams, who had been babysitting nearby and made the 999 call, said he never saw the defendant perform CPR.
He told jurors it was other people, including a passer-by and Mr Harden’s friend Matthew Oldham, who were carrying out chest compressions.
A paramedic also said Mr Oldham, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, was delivering “very good quality” CPR while the man in the clown costume “played no part at all”.
Forensic experts found bloodstains on Matabiswana’s clothing matched Mr Harden’s .
A scientist told the court the evidence gave “extremely strong support” to the view the defendant had punched an “injured and bleeding” Mr Harden rather than simply coming into contact with him while helping.
After being arrested and later released under , Matabiswana tried to flee the UK.
The court heard he bought a ticket to Johannesburg in South Africa, where his mother lives nearby in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
tracked his movements after he purchased a new phone from a CeX store in Rochdale before travelling to Manchester Airport.
Matabiswana admitted lying to his mother and another woman when he claimed he had beaten up a man who had been raping a woman in the street.
He said he made up the story because he did not want his mother to know he had been drinking or spending time with Natalie.
Officers arrested him in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport before he could board the flight.
Matabiswana was convicted after jurors deliberated for just over 12 hours.
He will return to court on May 18 for sentencing.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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