Life Sentence For Anuj Bidve Murderer

21-year-old Kiaran Stapleton has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years for the murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve.

Stapleton shot the 23-year-old Lancaster University student on Boxing Day 2011 as he walked to the Manchester sales with friends.

He had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but the jury rejected that argument and convicted him of murder on Thursday following a five-week trial.

The court heard he would only be released after that term if a parole board was satisfied he was no longer a risk to the public.

Mr Justice King said Stapleton - who in his first court appearance told magistrates his name was "Psycho Stapleton" - had committed a "truly wicked act" and was a "highly dangerous man" who posed a high risk of serious harm to other people.

He told Stapleton: "In my judgment, this was no impulsive act on your part. It was a piece of cold-blooded controlled aggression.

"When you went out you were fully minded to find a victim to satisfy your desire to shoot and kill someone if you could.

"I have no doubt that when you fired that fatal shot you had the intention to kill and moreover at all times you were in full control of your actions and fully aware of what you were doing.

"By that single act of cruelty you brought about the premature death of a bright young man who had already achieved so much and had so much to look forward to in the future."

The court had heard how Stapleton laughed as he stood over the body of his victim and he regularly grinned and laughed throughout the murder trial.

"You have behaved in a way demonstrating that you are positively boastful about having killed Mr Bidve," Judge King said.

The killer showed no emotion as the sentence was passed, nodded before he was led from the dock and then motioned with his hand towards his family to say "chin up".

(H/GK)