A man who murdered his neighbour in Walton Cardiff, near Tewkesbury, last year has been sentenced to at least 38 years in prison.

Can Arslan, 52, was sentenced to life in prison today, Thursday, June 9th, at Bristol Crown Court.

Arslan stabbed Matthew Boorman at least 27 times on his front lawn before attempting to kill another neighbour, Peter Marsden.

During the trial, the court heard about a “long-running dispute” between several neighbours and the defendant.

Arslan was the subject of an injunction, and eviction proceedings were underway to remove him and his family from their home on Snowdonia Road.

The defendant had threatened his neighbours, including threatening to kill them, according to the court. A week before the incident, he had been charged with harassment.

Arslan ambushed and attacked Mr Boorman, 43, as he returned home from work on a conference call on his mobile phone, according to Kate Brunner QC.

Sarah Boorman, Mr. Boorman’s wife, attempted to save her husband by repeatedly pulling Arslan off him while screaming for help. During the incident, she was stabbed in the thigh.

Arslan then forced his way into the back garden of a nearby neighbour, Mr Marsden, who lived a short distance away. Arslan broke into his house and stabbed him eight times.

Sergeant Steve Wilkinson, an off-duty police officer who had armed himself with a piece of wood, was pursuing Arslan at the time.

Mr Marsden managed to push Arslan out of his house while being attacked, and Sgt Wilkinson hit him with the piece of wood.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of several nearby neighbours congregating in the street to try to stop Arslan from hurting anyone else.

PC Josh Norris, another off-duty officer, had collected two golf clubs, and the group of around six or seven men surrounded Arslan as he walked down the street.

During this time, several neighbours, including two off-duty nurses, attempted to save Mr. Boorman and provide medical assistance to him on his front lawn, according to the court. They then led Mr. Boorman into his house.

When the cops arrived, Arslan was red-dotted with a Taser, dropped the knife, and was arrested and taken into custody.

Arslan denied murder and instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter citing diminished responsibility.

Psychiatrists told jurors during the trial that Arslan had a personality disorder, but that he was in control of what he was doing that day and understood the difference between right and wrong.

His defence team, led by Howard Godfrey QC, told jurors that Arslan’s decisions that day were irrational and that he had a “abnormality of mental function.”

The jury rejected that suggestion, and Arslan was found guilty of murder on April 5. He had previously admitted to attempting to murder Mr Marsden, causing grievous bodily harm to Mrs Boorman with intent, and affray.

Mrs Justice Cutts sentenced Arslan to life in prison with a minimum term of 38 years for the murder of Mr Boorman.

Arslan was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted murder of Mr Marsden, six years in prison for wounding Mrs Boorman, and 16 months in prison for affray.

“Arslan continues to show no remorse for his barbaric actions, and he deserves to spend a significant amount of time behind bars,” Detective Inspector Ben Lavender said after the sentencing hearing.

“What happened last October was truly horrific, and it was witnessed by several people in the community who are still recovering from what happened.”

Many people stepped in, and without their bravery, other people’s lives would have been lost that evening.

“I hope that knowing the person who committed such a heinous act will be imprisoned for a very long time will bring some solace to all those affected.”

Mr Boorman was a devoted father of three young children and a loving husband.” My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends, Mr Marsden and his family, and all those in the community who have been traumatised by what happened.

The Constabulary made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the incident, and it is currently investigating police actions.

To ensure that all learning opportunities are identified, senior representatives from local agencies have also commissioned an independent, non-statutory partnership review, which will examine how both public and private sector organisations collaborated to address Arslan’s neighbours’ concerns.

“My thoughts remain with Matthew’s family and friends, Peter Marsden and his family, and all those in the community who continue to suffer as a result of Arslan’s actions,” Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said.

While we are unable to comment on certain aspects of the case while the IOPC investigation and independent review are ongoing, we can assure people that the Constabulary has already taken steps to improve.

We believe we could have taken a different approach in viewing Arslan’s behaviour and actions as stalking.” Historically, this has not been a focus in cases presented to our Neighbourhood Policing Teams as protracted neighbour disputes or long-term anti-social behaviour of a community resident.

“However, if Arslan’s escalating actions had been considered in this manner, he could have been referred to the county’s’stalking clinic,’ where offenders’ actions are discussed and the risk a person poses can be assessed.” Working at a clinic can result in the issuance of protective orders, which prohibit offenders from engaging in certain activities while also requiring them to take positive action to address their behaviour.

“As a result, tailored training has been provided to all of our neighbourhood teams and is now in place for new recruits.” A number of officers from various departments are also receiving specialised training to help increase expertise on stalking throughout the Constabulary. These steps are intended to ensure that the possibility of stalking offences is fully considered in all cases, not just those traditionally associated with it, such as domestic abuse and individuals fixated on others for romantic or sexual reasons.

The Constabulary will act on any findings from the ongoing reviews to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep people safe.