Sadistic murderer Christopher Graham is being sentenced for killing and torturing a grandad.

Graham subjected Simon Bowman to a gruesome attack in which he cuts off his fingers and toes with secateurs or bolt cutters and smashed his face beyond recognition with a hammer.

Mr Bowman, 54, had more than 100 injuries on his body, some of which - including some of the digit removal and the gaping gash to his throat - had been inflicted after death.

Graham, 30, was found guilty of murdering his friend at his flat in Jarrow after a trial in December. He has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.

We will bring you live updates from court as he finds out how long he must serve behind bars before he can even be considered for release.

We'll have live updates from the sentencing below.

End of sentencing

The case is concluded and that is the end of our live coverage.

'You were aggressor'

Judge Sloan: “You were not acting in self-defence, you were the aggressor.”

Graham showed no reaction to the sentence.

'Mutilation and desecration of the body'

Judge Sloan adds: “The initial fatal attack was sustained and was particularly brutal and savage, involving multiple blows, principally directed to his head and chest.

“The attack continued after it must have been obvious to you that you had already killed Mr Bowman.

“There was further mutilation and desecration of the body.

“I have no doubt the attack began when he was lying prone and unconscious or asleep.

“You attacked him unawares at a time when he was in no position to defend himself.

“The deceased was attacked by you, a guest in his own home, a place where he should have been safe.”

False alibi and text message

After the murder, Graham sought to cover his tracks and construct a false alibi, even sending a text to Mr Bowman to give the impression he believed he was still alive.

Referring to Graham’s schizophrenia diagnosis, the judge says: “While that provides some limited mitigation, your abnormality of mental functioning does not provide any explanation for your behaviour on the night in question.

“You did not present as being acutely unwell at that time.”

'Intention was to kill'

Judge Sloan: “The violence was relentless and methodical.”

The court hears Mr Bowman is likely to have died around 30 minutes after the attack began.

The judge adds: “After death you continued to attack and mutilate the deceased, continuing to strike him with the hammer and inflicting a large number of incised wounds after death, more than 80 to his limbs and torso and you cut across his throat, exposing his larynx.”

Graham removed the digits from Mr Bowman’s right hand and foot after he had died.

Judge Sloan said: “It’s clear from the level of violence you deployed that your intention was to kill.”

Victim was defenceless

The judge says Graham removed some of Mr Bowman’s fingers and toes while he was still alive, adding: “Mercifully he would have been unconscious following the first severe blow to the head with the hammer.

Murder victim Simon Bowman from Jarrow
Murder victim Simon Bowman from Jarrow (Image: Northumbria Police)

“In my view he was rendered unconscious at an early stage, given the absence of defensive injuries, apart from one wound to the hand which may have been defensive.

“Accordingly he was defenceless at the time you launched your attack and in no position to defend himself from a very early stage.”

'A hammer, a knife and a pair of secateurs'

“You waited until the deceased fell asleep or was lying unconscious from the effects of drink and drugs on the sofa, then, as he was lying vulnerable and defenceless, you launched a sustained and particularly horrific and brutal attack on him, involving the use of three weapons - a hammer, a knife and a pair of secateurs, in all likelihood.”

Judge Sloan: “Some of the blows were struck with severe force, causing multiple fractures to facial bones including to his upper and lower jaw and cheek bone and multiple fractures to the skull, causing a hollow where the middle of his face should have been. The area of the nose and eyes had collapsed into the head.”

'A terrible revenge'

The judge said it is unclear exactly what happened on the night of May 12 into May 13.

He added: “While it may be the case the deceased caused you a superficial wound to your arm at one point during that night, in my judgement you did not need to defend yourself at all at that point and nor did you do so.

“If anything did occur to which you took exception, far be it from defending yourself straight away, what you did was bide your time before, in your drunken drugged state, exacting a terrible revenge.”

Said he would 'end up on a murder charge'

Judge Sloan says the evidence shows Mr Bowman was getting on Graham’s nerves in the days before the murder.

He sent one text saying he was “doing my head in” and another saying he was going to end up on a murder charge if he stayed at his flat.

Judge Sloan said: “Prophetic words, as it turned out.”

Life sentence with minimum 26 years

Judge Paul Sloan jails Graham for life and tells him he must serve a minimum term of 26 YEARS.

Christopher Graham
Christopher Graham

Murder likely to have been 'spontaneous'

Mr Greaney acknowledges Graham, who has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, was not experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the murder.

He adds: “We submit the likely explanation for the killing, bearing in mind what’s known of the deceased, it’s likely there was at least some provoking conduct on behalf of Simon Bowman in the moments and weeks before the killing.”

Mr Greaney adds that the murder was likely to have been spontaneous.

Judge not satisfied 'grotesque' murder was 'sadistic'

Judge Paul Sloan QC says he is not satisfied the murder can be categorised as sadistic and it does not fall into the 30 year starting point category.

Paul Greaney, defending, said: “We acknowledge the circumstances of the killing of Simon Bowman was bizarre and indeed grotesque.”

Dismemberment of the body

Miss Batty: “The level of violence was extreme and persisted over a prolonged period of time.

”There was dismemberment of the body in life and death.

“It’s likely the deceased was unconscious through sleep or drink or drugs and unlikely to defend himself.”

More than 110 injuries

Miss Batty reminds the court Mr Bowman had at least 113 injuries, suffered 23 forceful blows to the head and at least 100 uses of a bladed weapon.

'Gratuitous violence' with weapons

Miss Batty: “It began when he was still alive but was sustained long after death and he was subject to deliberate mutilation, mutilation with a variety of weapons, we know of three.”

The prosecutor continues: “He would have died from the head injuries and it follows any injuries inflicted beyond that were gratuitous violence.

“There was no need to inflict them, it was particularly gratuitous.”

'Sadistic attack'

Kate Batty, prosecuting, says the Crown submit it should be 30 year starting point.

She said: “We submit it was a sadistic attack because of the extent of the violence, in particular the removal of the majority of the digits of Mr Bowman and the period of time over which the violence was inflicted.”

Case is under way

The case is under way.

Graham is appearing on a video-link from prison.