A ROWLEY Regis horror film fan who viciously battered and stabbed to death a popular Birmingham father has been jailed for life.

Judge John Warner ruled Stuart Millership who hit Baljit Singh up to 20 times with a heavy blunt instrument before plunging a bread knife into his neck must stay behind bars for a minimum of 25 years.

The body of the 50-year-old who disappeared on on his son’s ninth birthday on December 23, was found in bin bags just over a week later in terraced Beeches Road house where Millership lived with his girlfriend.

The judge passing sentence said Millership had launched a sustained frenzied and murderous attack on Mr Singh in the expectation of getting his hands on the victim's £15,000 Range Rover.

Judge John Warner said: “Only you know the detail of what happened and what conversation passed between the two of you beforehand.

“I am sure the Range Rover and money figured large. You got both by killing him."

He added: “You completely lost it and carried out a sustained, frenzied, murderous attack as the victim tried in vain to protect himself.”

Millership admitted the murder but the maintained the fatal blows were struck by two Albanian drug dealers who he was claimed owed 30,000 to Mr Singh, who lived in Harborne. However, the judge did not believe the story about the Albanians as there were so many holes in the testimony.

The court was told in a text message to his girlfriend Millership told her he had nearly strangled Mr Singh before. He said: "He has got to till tomorrow or I'm kicking off, I don’t do fighting im a horror fan."

The police murder investigation found that Millership and Mr Singh had known each other for over 15 years.

DI Warren Hines said: "Baljit Singh and Millership were known friends and loose business associates who saw each other on a regular basis. Millership had previously lived in a flat owned by the deceased.

"Baljit left his home at 11.30am on December 23 in his vehicle to collect a cake and a pizza for his son’s ninth birthday party and never returned. His concerned family reported him missing to police when he failed to collect the cake or return home.

"On December 31, Baljit Singh’s car was found at an address in Kingswinford, and Millership was arrested on suspicion of theft of the vehicle and kidnap. Following further enquiries, officer’s searched his then home address in Beeches Road and the body was discovered.

"This was a truly awful crime, Baljit was subjected to a brutal assault by a man he should have had no reason to fear, a man who he had befriended and helped over a number of years.

"I really hope that this verdict will allow Baljit’s family to start rebuilding their lives."

In a victim impact statement Mr Singh's family described their heartbreak at his murder and said his killing had left a massive void in their lives.