Man jailed for life after murdering flatmate and leaving his body for six weeks

A man has been jailed for life after stabbing his flatmate to death and leaving the body in the property for six weeks.

Matthew Chibnall continued to live in the flat in Coventry with 57-year-old Anil Vegad dead in the living room after Vegad suffered stab wounds to the back.

Coventry Crown Court heard Chibnall used Vegad’s bank card to buy alcohol and only reported the death when he could no longer access the victim’s funds.

Chibnall was arrested after he told officers at Coventry police station on 1 June that he had killed his friend.

Police then attended the scene, where they discovered Vegad’s body and found two deep knife marks in a nearby chair.

Chibnall claimed he had been attempting to get Vegad’s attention by stabbing the chair he was sitting in.

He said the incident took place after both had been drinking on Easter Monday, but that his friend only collapsed the following day.

Chibnall told officers upon being charged with murder: “If you do the crime, you gotta do the time I suppose,” but later denied deliberately killing Vegad.

He was later convicted of murder following a trial at Coventry Crown Court.

On Tuesday this week Chibnall was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum term of 18 years

In a statement Vegad’s family said: "We have all been devastated as a family. Although justice has been served, this will never bring our Dad back.

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"He was a loving, kind and generous person. Whenever our Dad walked into a room he would light it up.

"Our Dad was well known in the community and well loved by everyone. Our Dad will be deeply missed but never forgotten, he will always be in our hearts."

Detective Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, from West Midland Police’s homicide team, said: "We may never know exactly what happened in that flat which led to Mr Vegad being fatally stabbed. We believe he thrust the knife deep into the chair twice and then into Mr Vegad.

"Chibnall could have immediately called emergency services and potentially saved his friend’s life. However, he just let Mr Vegad die and stole his card to buy alcohol in the weeks after his death.

"We were able to prove he intended to kill or seriously harm Mr Vegad, as a result he now faces a life sentence for murder."