A killer dubbed 'The Terminator' who "acted out his own horror movie" with himself in the starring role as he stabbed his neighbour 27 times has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years.
Can Arslan embarked on a brutal stabbing spree that began when he confronted Matthew Boorman, 43, outside his front door as he returned home from work.
He murdered the dad-of-three by attacking him on his front garden in Walton Cardiff, in Gloucestershire, bringing terror to a quiet village on October 5 last year. Mr Boorman died at the scene.
He also knifed Mr Boorman's wife Sarah in the leg as she desperately tried to save him, before going around the corner and forcing his way into the home of another neighbour, Peter Marsden, and stabbing him eight times.
This was after he had callously sat on his victim's body for a 'triumphant' cigarette.
Mr Marsden survived but only after undergoing major surgery.
Bristol Crown Court heard he was motivated by "anger and revenge" as his neighbours had been trying to evict him for making their lives a misery for many years.
Arslan, 52 denied the charge, instead claiming he should be convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Jailing Arslan today, Mrs Justice Johannah Cutts told him the peace and lives of the entire community were "shattered when your anger, resent and rage exploded into a spree of planned violence."
She said for many years he had made their lives an "absolute misery" and added: "You spoke of a massacre and caused very real fear."
She said the impact on the children was "deeply traumatic beyond anything young children should have to witness."
And she told him: "You have shown no guilt or remorse about Mr Boorman's death. You have continued to utter threats from prison. Without doubt you are a highly dangerous man.
"For no reason at all you took the life of a decent, family man."
She said he also "caused terror to the community."
She added: "Many residents can not forget that terrible day.
"You lay in wait to ambush him on his return to work and engaged in a particularly brutal attack that caused terror to those who witnessed your behaviour. The impact on the community has been long lasting."
The murder was the culmination of 12 years of threats from Arslan to Mr Boorman and other neighbours in Walton Cardiff, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, which began with a row over parking.
Many had installed expensive security systems in response to Arslan's aggression, and the killing was captured in graphic detail.
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Boorman described her husband as a devoted father who loved playing with his children and "enjoyed all parts of parenting".
"Our children knew nothing but love and care and kindness," she said.
She continued: "Matthew was a good, honest and kind man who never fell out with anybody."
Mrs Boorman described how the family had endured years of Arslan threatening to rape and murder them, and verbally abusing them.
She said life was like "living in the middle of a war zone, we were always on edge about what was going to happen".
The Boormans' three children, then aged 12, seven and two, were in the house during the attack, with the eldest running to shut his siblings in the lounge to protect them.
Mrs Boorman said: "I struggle to explain to Matt's biggest fans, his children - they don't understand why a bad man would want to hurt their daddy so much they can't ever see him again."
Mrs Boorman thanked the neighbours who had tried to save her husband and tackle Arslan.
"I want to say thank you to the heroes who came to help me and tried to save Matt," she said.
"Many of them were people I had never met before. I didn't know their names and I didn't know if they had families waiting for them, but they came to help me and tried to save Matt by selflessly running towards danger."
She continued: "These strangers, with kindness and love, came to my rescue."
Mrs Boorman added: "Matt didn't die in the front garden where he was attacked, he died in our house, away from the evil man, and with love around him."
She added: “My three children changed and will never be the same. No child should have to endure this.
“I miss him so much. I am trying so hard to hold it together for my children but I can not bear the loss of him.
“I was heartbroken when Matt died and that never gets better.
“I am worried I did not do enough to save Matt. We will speak his name every day and remember him for the wonderful man he was.”
Mrs Boorman could not bear to mention the killer by name but referred to him as the “monster next door.”
She said: “Before he was killed, the man next door made our lives a misery for years.
“Every time we went out he would pretend to phone a hitman and threaten us.
It felt like being in the middle of a war zone - we were always on edge about what was about to kick off.”
Arslan was dubbed “The Terminator” during his trial after going on the pre-planned horror movie-style rampage. He had previously threatened to massacre his neighbours.
Prosecutor Kate Brunner QC told jurors during his trial at Bristol Crown Court that Arslan had "planned and controlled" the stabbings, and had hoped to "end up on the TV".
She cited the words of one of Mr Boorman's colleagues, who was on the phone to him when Arslan attacked.
She told the court: "She said it was like listening to a 'totally horrendous horror movie', and it was a horror movie that was just beginning and this defendant had written the script.
"This was not something that happened to him - it was something he had planned and controlled. It was a horror movie planned out, where he was going to stab his victims to death one by one.
"A horror movie where he was going to take a starring role, and end up on the TV."
The prosecutor told the court the defendant had a long history of tormenting his neighbours including the three victims of this attack and over 12 years he threatened to rape and kill, would shine torches in their home and speak loudly of a massacre.
She described it as a "targeted and planned" series of attacks in "revenge against people following lawful process to resolve long-standing issues."
Fellow victim Peter Marsden also gave a victim impact statement and said he had suffered over 12 years living with regular intimidation and threats of violence at the hands of Arslan.
He described him as a "horrible man, a bully and an evil human being.
He added: "I am glad he has now gone but it will take a long time to call it a home again."
The attacks on 5 October 2021 were carried out despite repeated warnings to cops and to his victims - including telling one officer of his murderous intentions the day before.
During the trial, Arslan was also compared to the Arnie character by prosecutors after showing a desire to watch both Terminator films when police visited - and for the 'cold, calculated and robotic' way he carried out his attacks.
Following his arrest, Arslan asked officers if he was on Sky News or the BBC.
Ms Brunner said the defendant had also faked a number different potential psychiatric defences, such as being suicidal, hearing voices telling him to kill, and amnesia - and had even asked a psychiatrist if her report on him could get him a lesser sentence.
It was the first time he had ever made mention of voices. A forensic psychiatrist who examined Arslan was sceptical about the claim.
Ms Brunner said that by faking mental illness, Arslan had demonstrated how rational he was, adding: "He is a cunning, smart man trying to pull the wool over eyes."
Two forensic psychiatrists agreed Arslan was not psychotic or mentally ill, but said he had been diagnosed with a paranoid, unstable and antisocial personality disorder.
Defending, Howard Godfrey QC, argued that Arslan's actions were clearly "not normal behaviour", noting that he had attacked "in broad daylight, when everyone is around and there is CCTV everywhere".
He told jurors: "He doesn't do it at night when someone is out walking their dog and then run away, he doesn't wear a mask to try and hide who he is; it's broad daylight, in front of everyone who is around."
Mr Godfrey went on: "After Mr Boorman was dead, he continued stabbing him 27 times, then lights a cigarette and sits on top of Mr Boorman. Does that seem like normal behaviour?
"He is calm, he is robotic, he is emotionless throughout much of this."
Mr Godfrey also referred to witnesses who had described Arslan as a "psycho" who had "beady" eyes.
He also noted that a forensic psychiatrist found his personality disorder "did impact his ability to form a rational judgment", adding that "it was bad enough to amount to an abnormality of mental function".
Arslan admitted the attempted murder of Mr Marsden, causing grievous bodily harm to Mrs Boorman, and a charge of affray.
He was found guilty by a jury of murder.
Mr Boorman's family previously criticised the "toothless" response by police and other agencies in response to the years of abuse and threats from Arslan.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has opened an investigation into Gloucestershire Police's actions in light of the many reported incidents prior to Mr Boorman's death.
The IOPC said on Thursday: "As part of our investigation to date, we have served a misconduct notice on one police constable in relation to their contact with Mr Arslan.
"Such notices advise an officer their conduct is subject to investigation and do not necessarily mean any disciplinary proceedings will follow.
"Our independent investigation began in November following a mandatory referral from Gloucestershire Constabulary straight after Mr Boorman's death about prior police contact, and subsequent referrals of complaints."
A spokesman from Tewkesbury Council said previously that its powers to evict people from private housing was "extremely limited".
Following Arslan's conviction in April, the spokesman said: "We have been made aware that questions have been raised about the different authorities' involvement in this case, and clearly we take this seriously.
"As with all serious cases like these, we will be carrying out a full review of our involvement."
