Man who blamed intruder jailed for stab murder

Justin Griffith will spend a minimum of 19 years in prison

A man who blamed an intruder for a fatal stabbing has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years for murder.

Sean Ember, 35, was found with neck and chest wounds in the kitchen of his home in Andover, Hampshire, in November 2024.

Justin Griffith, 42, pretended that someone had broken in and carried out the attack, police said.

He was handed a life sentence at Winchester Crown Court on 22 August.

At the hearing, victim impact statements from Mr Ember's family were read to the court.

His sister said: "We now face a lifetime without him - without his laugh, his support, his love.

"Sean deserved so much better. He deserved to live. And we deserved to keep him."

Sean Ember died at the scene on Arcaro Road in Andover

Police were called to an address on Arcaro Road at 20:40 GMT on 29 November.

Griffith, who phoned for an ambulance, told call handlers the culprit might still be in the garden, detectives said.

The lie delayed life-saving efforts by paramedics and Mr Ember was pronounced dead at the scene, police added.

Griffith, whose previous addresses include Milton Road in Southsea and Botley Road in Southampton, continued to try and mislead authorities by attempting to pin the blame on a named man, detectives said.

Det Insp Howard Broadribb said: "This calculated and callous crime, and the defendant's attempts to evade justice by fabricating a false narrative only added to the distress of the victim's loved ones."