A man who killed a male model in a ‘vicious attack’ while dressed as a clown at a Halloween party has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years.
Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, brutally assaulted 36-year-old Luke Harden as he lay ‘defenceless’ on the ground in Stacksteads, Lancashire, on November 1, 2025.
The two men had attended the same fancy dress event at Rosemount Working Men’s Club earlier that evening to celebrate Halloween.
But after leaving the party shortly before midnight, Matabiswana and Mr Harden became embroiled in an altercation on Newchurch Road.
The killer – still clad in his clown outfit – punched and kicked his victim causing him catastrophic injuries to the head and neck.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, where Mr Harden was sadly pronounced dead at 1.17am.
Matabiswana, who claimed to have tried to save the model by performing CPR, told police officers he had merely stumbled across Mr Harden laying on the floor.
He claimed that he used the victim’s phone to call an ambulance – but was later taken into custody and then re-arrested two days later while trying to board a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Manchester Airport.
Bhekisani Matabiswana (pictured) has been jailed for life has with a minimum term of 16-and-a-half years after attacking a male model while dressed as a clown after a Halloween party
Luke Harden (pictured) was attacked shortly after midnight on November 1 last year after attending the event at Rosemount Working Men’s Club in Stacksteads, Lancashire
Matabiswana (pictured just after the crime) falsely told officers he had stumbled across Mr Harden on the ground after leaving the event
Matabiswana, of Zimbabwean descent, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of murder.
In his victim impact statement, Mr Harden’s father, Gary, said the death of his son has left him with a ‘constant emptiness that cannot be filled’.
He added: ‘Our lives have completely changed. The pain of losing Luke in such a violent and senseless way is something we carry every single day.
‘As his dad, I find myself thinking about the time we had and wishing we had made more of it, wishing we saw each other more, said even more. Those thoughts stay with me, and they add to the pain of losing him.
‘Everyday life is no longer the same, simple things are harder, family moments feel incomplete. There is always something missing and it’s because Luke should be there, but he isn’t and can no longer be.
‘What hurts most is knowing I will never hear him say, “love you too, Dad” again. I will never hug him again, never see his smile, never hear his laugh. That has been taken from me, and from everyone who loved him.’
In police bodycam footage from the night of the murder, shared to social media, Matabiswana was heard saying: ‘We shouldn’t have done this.’
The 36-year-old told officers shortly after his attack that he had phoned Rawtenstall A and E, and said he knelt beside Mr Harden, checked for a pulse and began chest compressions before other people took over.
But Alan Williams, who was returning to his car after babysitting nearby, told the jury he never saw the defendant carry out CPR.
He said it was others, including a passer-by and Mr Harden’s friend, Matthew Oldham, who were giving compressions as emergency services arrived.
A paramedic who came to the scene also said a man in a Hawaiian shirt, Mr Oldham, was providing ‘very good quality’ CPR and the man in the clown costume ‘played no part at all’ in the treatment.
A forensic scientist said bloodstains on Matabiswana’s shirt and trousers matched the victim’s DNA and provided ‘extremely strong support’ for the view he had punched an ‘injured and bleeding’ Mr Harden.
Matabiswana was initially arrested along with a female associate on suspicion of murder and taken into custody.
When he arrived, the killer claimed the injuries suffered to his knuckles and fingers were ‘old’ and not painful. He was released later that day while under investigation.
However, having been tracked by authorities, he was arrested once again the following day at Manchester Airport.
In a police interview, he later admitted to striking Mr Harden but claimed he did so in self-defence. He also denied kicking the victim.
The killer, of Zimbabwean descent, was caught trying to flee the United Kingdom for South Africa days after the attack
In a police interview, Matabiswana later admitted to striking Mr Harden but claimed he did so in self-defence
Mr Harden (pictured) was punched, kicked and stamped on causing catastrophic injuries to his head, face and neck. His family said they have been left ’empty’
Speaking after the murderer’s sentencing, DI Pete MacDonald, of Lancashire Police, said Matabiswana has shown ‘no remorse whatsoever’ for his actions.
‘Luke Harden was the victim of a vicious attack carried out by a man who continued to assault him while he lay defenceless on the ground,’ he added.
‘His attacker then made no effort to help him and pretended he had simply stumbled across Luke already injured.
‘Matabiswana has shown no remorse whatsoever for his actions and has made several efforts to evade justice, including by trying to flee the country.
‘I welcome this sentence imposed today and while no jail term can ever compensate for the loss of a life, I hope it gives Luke’s family some sense that justice has been done.’
Mr Harden’s mother Kate McGovern said in an emotional statement: ‘The reality of our situation and family dynamic has now changed forever.
‘Where we looked to the future and lived in happiness, it’s now overtaken with fear, stress, worry and pain in order for us to just survive.
‘We no longer can be normal, we are now living in a new reality that does not feel real and we will never be the same people we were before the 1 November.
‘The realisation that Luke is not able to become a dad, that we are not going to be grandparents.
‘Not being able to take regular holidays or have our conversations, what used to be a simple and mundane part of life of having Friday night calls with Luke where he put the world to rights, has now become some of our cherished memories.
‘We have been robbed of time, hugs, kisses, love, memories. Watching his life, his future, his plans and his career all unfold has been ripped away and the reason why is still unknown.
‘We have been robbed of a son, something a parent should never do, bury their child in their lifetime.’
