A carpet fitter has been jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years for the “brutal” murder of his best friend in a Black Country churchyard.

Father-of-three Paul Hadley was “battered to death” with a metal object by Stuart Alsop, who then stole money from the victim’s wallet, the court heard.

Care worker Mr Hadley, aged 40, of Islington, Halesowen, suffered “colossal” injuries and was found dead in the grounds of St John the Baptist Church, Halesowen.

After five weeks of evidence, it took the jury just over four hours to find Alsop, 42, guilty of the murder. Alsop, of Hill Street, Halesowen, was sentenced to serve a minimum of 22 years by Judge John Warner at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Warner described Mr Hadley as a “kind and generous man”.

He added: “There can be no doubt whatsoever that the defendant intended to kill him and he did so in the most brutal way.”

The court had heard Alsop lay in wait for Mr Hadley in the churchyard after phoning him to arrange a meeting. Mr Hadley had been buying rounds of drinks for people in a local pub after making no secret of a winning streak at the local bookies, the court heard.