Man who accused pair jailed for baseball bat murder

Janaed Ahktar showed a "complete lack of remorse", police said

A man who accused his housemates after murdering a man with a baseball bat has been jailed for a minimum of 23 years.

Neil Comins, 39, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, died in hospital after being attacked in the town in the early hours of 3 January.

Janaed Akhtar's false claims led to the arrests of two innocent people at his home in Cope Road, police said.

Previously, the 40-year-old was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Akhtar hit Mr Comins with the bat in Cope Road as well as stabbing him in the neck before calling 999, police said.

The victim died the following day from a traumatic brain injury.

Two people living in Akhtar's building were arrested after he implicated one for the murder and another for an alleged assault on Mr Comins a few days earlier, detectives said.

However, DNA evidence was found on the baseball bat and Akhtar's shoe and he was charged with murder on 10 January, police added.

Det Ch Insp Mike Roddy said: “The attack was completely needless, and whatever the motives, it was clear that Akhtar intended to cause Mr Comins very serious harm that night.

“The fact that Akhtar then made completely false allegations against co-residents shows the complete lack of remorse he has shown throughout."

Mr Comins' mother said he was a "much-loved son, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin".

In a statement released via Thames Valley Police she said: “Despite having problems in the past, things were improving for Neil.

"His health was getting better and he had what we all thought was a safe place to live.

“Neil may have been a grown man, over six feet tall, but he was, and always will be, my little boy."