Can Arslan found guilty of murdering neighbour

Can Arslan has been found guilty of murdering his neighbour Matthew Boorman

A man who subjected his neighbours to years of anti-social behaviour before stabbing one of them to death has been found guilty of murder.

Can Arslan, 52, lay in wait for Matthew Boorman as he came home from work then stabbed him 27 times on his front lawn.

It was the culmination of 12 years of threats to Arslan's neighbours in Walton Cardiff, Gloucestershire.

After the verdict, Mr Boorman's wife Sarah released a statement in which she said his death was "truly shocking".

Paying tribute to the 43-year-old father-of-three, the statement praised his fundraising efforts for charity, hiking The Three Peaks with friends, gardening at a hospice and running half marathons.

Read by Mr Boorman's sister Sarah Elston outside Bristol Crown Court it said: "Matt shone brightly, he radiated enthusiasm and had a real zest for life.

"He loved to celebrate life, and fill the house with both music and laughter.

"Perhaps what people will remember most of all about Matt is his smile.

"His energy, his love, his laughter - a very proud father of his children."

Matthew Boorman was described as a very caring husband and a devoted father

"Matt was a man who infused fun into the most mundane tasks. He was a kid at heart who would fly model aeroplanes and race remote control cars," it continued.

"Matt's death is truly shocking. He was so young and had such a bright future ahead of him."

Speaking on behalf of the family, Ms Elston said he "touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with" and "was a good man" with "so much to live for".

Mr Boorman's family paid tribute to him in a statement read by his sister Sarah Elston

One of Mr Boorman's children saw the attack unfold from an upstairs bedroom, the trial heard.

Arslan, who had denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, then forced his way into the home of another neighbour, Peter Marsden, and knifed him eight times.

The trial heard the murder on 5 October came after Arslan had terrorised his neighbours for years.

Many of them were so worried about his behaviour they had installed security cameras that captured the killing, footage from which was used as evidence by police.

Other neighbours, including an off-duty police officer, confronted Arslan during the outbreak of violence.

At the time of the murder, Arslan was the subject of an injunction prohibiting him from threatening or abusing his neighbours, and had been served with a notice of eviction.

Small rows over parking and a scratch to a car had escalated to the point where Arslan had repeatedly threatened to attack or kill those living near him.

In May, Mrs Boorman had made a statement to police setting out a summary of the threats they had received from the defendant.

She said they were worried about being murdered, or that someone was going to be seriously hurt very soon.

Arslan made counter-allegations, accusing the Boormans of racially abusing him.

'Not mentally ill'

Arslan had claimed that he heard voices, including that of his childhood teddy bear, telling him to kill, but expert psychiatrists told jurors that he was not psychotic and diagnosed him with a paranoid, unstable and antisocial personality disorder,

Two forensic psychiatrists agreed Arslan was not mentally ill but were divided on whether his personality disorder should lessen the offence to one of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Dr John Sandford said CCTV footage of the attacks makes it clear that Arslan was aware of what he was doing.

"It's quite clear he knows what's going on and why he's been arrested," Dr Sandford said.

However Dr Sally Foster, who conducted a psychiatric examination for the defence, said Arslan's personality disorder diagnosis might provide a defence to murder.

She said "impaired mental functioning was a significant contributing factor to the defendant's acts".

Correction 9 April: We initially stated that Can Arslan had an "unstable personality disorder" but we have clarified this to say he was diagnosed with "a paranoid, unstable and antisocial personality disorder".