A HOMELESS drifter from Basingstoke has been jailed for life for the 'savage and brutal' killing of a gentle and kind man who gave him shelter.

Stuart Hodgkin leeched off his victim Adrian Munday after being offered shelter and beat and stamped him to death when his money ran out and there was nothing left to steal.

He tried to cover up the killing by building a fire over Adrian's body and igniting it with lighter fluid, but the fire did not take hold and an autopsy revealed it was a murder.

Hodgkin is suffering from terminal cancer is likely to die in prison within a year after he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years at Exeter Crown Court.

Adrian's family crowded into the public gallery and gave victim impact statements which revealed how their lived have been devastated by his killing.

Adrian, aged 51, suffered brain damage as a child and was schizophrenic. He was a well known figure around his home town of Newton Abbot, where he was known as a gentle giant.

His family had set up a trust fund to help him and had battled throughout his adult life to ensure he received the care he needed.

He had only just started living independently in his own home in Wain Lane, Newton Abbot, when he met Hodgkin, who was a homeless, penniless, and living in a tent on the nearby racecourse.

Hodgkin, aged 41, of Stockbridge Road, Winchester, but originally from Basingstoke, denied murder but was found guilty after a two week trial.

He was jailed for life by Judge Graham Cottle, who acknowledged that the minimum term of 20 years was academic in the light of hospital reports which show Hodgkin has only a year to live.

He told him:"Adrian Munday was a decent, good man, whose first instinct was to trust people and to see the best in them. He also suffered from a severe mental illness.

"This combination made him a very vulnerable and always likely to be exploited.

"It is plain from the evidence you were effectively stealing money from him and he was eventually forced to sell his precious coin collection and ask his mother for money from the family trust fund.

"I do not know the precise circumstances but you beat him to death in a savage a brutal way.

"He suffered 20 rib fractures and fractured breast bone and there was damage to his brain.

"I have read the victim impact statements from Adrian's family and heard evidence from his mother.

"It was measured and dignified and she is clearly struggling to cope with the enormous feelings of grief that she has.

"The family and extended family have suffered and continue to suffer greatly as a result of his death and the circumstances in which they came to be deprived of him. It has altered the lives of many people irreparably."

After the case Adrian's family joined senior investigating officer Detective Constable Mike West on the steps on the court, where he read out a statement on their behalf.

He said:”Our family were shocked and devastated by the callous and brutal murder of Adrian, our loving and beloved son, brother and uncle.

“Adrian's long-term mental health issues, coupled with his kind, caring and unusually trusting nature, made him particularly vulnerable.

"However after a lengthy period of supported care he was finally living independently, and we were very hopeful for his future.

“Adrian had the misfortune to meet up with Hodgkin, an incredibly manipulative and violent man, who immediately took advantage of Adrian's kindness and inability to stand up for himself.

“We believe Adrian suffered emotional torment in the period before the savage and sustained beating which led to his death.

“Words simply cannot describe the depth of our distress about this appalling, abhorrent and senseless crime, which has robbed us of an integral part of our family.

"His death has left a great hole in our lives. Adrian is deeply, deeply missed, and always will be.

"We hope Hodgkin's life sentence will mean he will not be able to hurt any more innocent and trusting people.

“We wish to thank Devon and Cornwall Police for their huge effort in bringing Hodgkin to justice, and the Family Liaison Officers and the Victim Support organisation for their support during the period since the murder.

"We also wish the thank from the bottom of our hearts, the people who gave statements to the police, and bravely stood up in court to give evidence, enabling the court to build a picture of the final two or three weeks of Adrian's life.

"Justice could not have been done without this."