Man jailed for life over 'brutal' murder

Allen Adeyemi Tejan died from head injuries after being assaulted in April

A man has been given a life sentence for murdering a man he had been socialising with the night before.

Allen Adeyemi Tejan, 40, was found with serious head injuries at a property in Sunderland's Lily Street on 24 April, and died in hospital the next day.

His killer, Adrian Wright, 53, who fled the scene and threw away his clothes, initially denied murder but changed his plea at Newcastle Crown Court.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Tejan's mother, Adisatu Florisa Sulaiman, said losing her only son had left her "heartbroken".

"At my age, I was looking forward to my son getting married, settling down, and him giving me a befitting send-off - not me burying him," she said.

"The pain of his passing has left me heartbroken and it will stay with me until the last day of my life.

"I still live in the hope that this episode is one long nightmare that I will wake up from one day."

Adrian Wright, 53, had denied a murder charge but later changed his plea

Northumbria Police said an investigation found Wright and Mr Tejan had been with friends at the address in the Millfield area of the city.

They spent the night at the property before Wright, of no fixed abode, launched the assault the following morning.

During sentencing, he was told he must serve a minimum of 18 years and four months in prison.

Det Ch Insp Matt Steel said: "This was a brutal and senseless murder, and I am pleased that Wright will now serve a lengthy custodial sentence.

"There is absolutely no justification for the course of events, which has robbed Allen’s loved ones of a beloved son and friend."