A homophobic killer who murdered a man for allegedly making a pass at him has now been jailed again – for throttling his cellmate.
Vitalie Tanga, 41, was given a life sentence last year for the ‘senseless’ killing of Alfred Mattox, who was gay, after beating him to death in his own home in 2021.
He was said to have launched the vodka-fuelled attack on Mr Mattox in his Wolverhampton home because he was gay, later claiming it was actually due to the 56-year-old making a pass at him at a party.
While Tanga was in jail at HMP Birmingham awaiting trial for the murder of Mr Mattox, he turned on his cellmate Tajinder Kular and throttled him in September 2022.
Mr Kular was found unconscious by prison officers in the cell the two men were sharing and died several weeks later.
A post-mortem examination found ligature marks around his neck, broken bones in the neck and bruising to the face.
The double killer claimed he attacked his cellmate in self-defence after they got into a row over a cigarette, but was found guilty of murder following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
West Midlands Police said Tanga has now been jailed to life with a minimum term of 27 years, to run concurrently to his previous sentence of life with a minimum term of 25 years for the murder of Mr Mattox.
Tanga had been moved into Mr Kular’s cell on K Wing the night before the fatal attack, Birmingham Live reported.
Vitalie Tanga, 41, was given a life sentence last year for the ‘senseless’ killing of Alfred Mattox, who was gay, after beating him to death in his own home in 2021
While Tanga was in jail at HMP Birmingham awaiting trial for the murder of Mr Mattox, he turned on his cellmate Tajinder Kular and strangled him in September 2022
Prosecutors said there was unlikely to have been much communication between Mr Kular and Tanga, who speaks Russian but very little English.
The killer was observed behaving ‘unusually’ earlier in the morning.
Guards went to check on Tanga at around 11.30am and found him pacing erratically around his cell – before pointing to the bottom bunk bed and sliding a thumb across his neck.
He smiled and repeated the gesture when guards asked him what he meant. Then, he pulled back the duvet of the bottom bunk to reveal Mr Kular motionless.
Tanga provided conflicting accounts of the incident over the following months before ultimately telling a jury that Mr Kular attacked him after offering him a cigarette and then snatching it back.
He claimed he was grabbed by the throat and the two men struggled for around five minutes before the victim ‘fell asleep’.
Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp Ade George of West Midlands Police, said: ‘It remains a tragedy that Tajinder Kular lost his life in such circumstances.
‘Tanga has not taken responsibility for his actions or shown any remorse since.
‘He instead chose to blame the victim for attacking him and claiming to the court that he acted in self-defence.
‘The jury did not believe this account, and this is reflected in the verdict.’
His first killing took place a year earlier, when Mr Mattox and his friends were attacked while celebrating VE Day at his home.
Tanga claimed his victim had made a pass at him moments before his death and he wanted to ‘show him he was a man’.
Sentencing Tanga last year, Judge Michael Chambers KC said: ‘You subjected Mr Mattox to a brutal and sustained attack when he was in his own home.
‘It arose from what was a vodka-fuelled rage involving you repeatedly kicking him to the head causing extensive fractures and brain damage from which he died on May 24.’
Alfred Mattox, 56 was Tanga’s first victim at his home while he was celebrating VE Day with his friends
The court heard how Mr Mattox and his lodger went shopping, where they met a friend on May 10, 2021.
They bought a bottle of vodka, with the group deciding to go back to Mr Mattox’s flat in Merridale to ‘celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Second World War’. Killer Tanga also joined in with the festivities before the group went out to buy more vodka.
‘All was well’ when the victim spoke to his brother on FaceTime at 4.34pm, the court heard. But neighbours raised the alarm with police after hearing ‘banging noises’ just under an hour later.
Police rushed to the scene, arriving at 5.45pm to find Mr Mattox unconscious on the floor. He had sustained extensive fracturing to both sides of his face and skull, as well as brain damage which led to organ failure.
The victim died a fortnight later on May 24. A Home Office pathologist told the earlier trial that there must have been ‘at least three heavy blows to the head’, consistent with kicking.
When police arrived at the scene, Tanga told officers outside the flat: ‘He is a ******, know what I mean’ He later claimed his victim had made a pass at him, telling police in interview he ‘had to show him he was a man’.
Tanga’s second victim was left with bruising to his head and scratches as a result of an attack in Mr Mattox’s flat. It is not ‘entirely clear’ at what stage he sustained injuries but he has since made a full recovery.
