Caught Liverpool murderer would have killed again, court told

Martin Decker contacted Iwo after seeing his advert offering sexual services on a classified ads website

A man who bludgeoned a retired lawyer to death with a hammer "would have killed again", a court has heard.

David Iwo, 24, murdered Martin Decker at the 69-year-old's home on Vyner Croft, Birkenhead, on 6 March.

Alan Kent QC, prosecuting, said it was part of a campaign of violent robberies against vulnerable men and Iwo "would not have stopped until he was caught".

Iwo, of Liverpool, laughed as he was jailed for a minimum of 33 years at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard Mr Decker, who was a senior Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer from 1986 until 2012, had contacted Iwo after seeing his advert offering sexual services on a classified ads website.

'No mercy'

Iwo told police he arranged to go to Mr Decker's home on 6 March after they agreed he would be paid £250 and had struck him repeatedly with a hammer shortly after entering.

He then took money, alcohol and valuable items.

Iwo was later arrested in London and pleaded guilty to the murder at a hearing in September.

Mr Kent said Iwo told police he saw the murder of a human as a "progression of his habit of killing cats"

Mr Kent said had he not been arrested, "he would have killed again and would not have stopped until he was caught", as he had made a conscious decision to live his life by killing and stealing from people who approached him for sex.

He said Iwo was also accused of the torture and mutilation of 30 cats in the Norfolk area, but due to the 24-year-old being "uncooperative" at a plea hearing, a decision was made not to proceed with charges.

He said Iwo had told officers he viewed Mr Decker as "an objective" and saw the murder as a "progression of his habit of killing cats".

A psychiatric report found he had dissocial personality disorder and was highly narcissistic.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Decker's brother Jeremy, who discovered his body, said the retired lawyer "deserved so much better".

"He was a lovely man who was taken from us all," he said.

Sentencing Iwo, Mr Justice Jacobs said he had shown "no mercy" to Mr Decker and had "never shown any remorse subsequently".

"You attacked gay men, confident they were not going to report an attack," he said.