A MAN has been jailed for 30 years for the pre-meditated murder of a father in his own home.
Darren Alderton, 51, was bludgeoned to death with a stone by Seyed Iman Tabarhosseini.
The killer attempted to hide the murder weapon in the loft of the flat in Magdalen Road, St Leonards, before attempting to flee the country.
A post mortem examination found Mr Alderton died of blunt force trauma to the head, caused by the stone.
There were no signs of forced entry to the property, but CCTV inside showed Tabarhosseini in the flat on April 6 with blood on his clothing, wearing latex gloves and carrying the stone.
He was then captured on camera wearing different clothing, leaving the property carrying a dark rucksack and a camouflage bag for life.
Earlier that day, the 38-year-old checked into a hotel in Hastings before making his way to Mr Alderton's home.
A taxi picked up Tabarhosseini, before stopping at two petrol stations in Hastings and Rye, where he disposed of items in various bins across the forecourts.
Upon returning to his home in Dover, Tabarhosseini changed clothes again and washed his hands before disposing of more items in the communal bins outside his property.
He then returned to the hotel in Hastings, again in different clothes, wheeling a suitcase before travelling to Heathrow Airport, where he tried to board a flight with no success.
He then disposed of another bag in charity bins nearby.
As part of the investigation, police spoke to the taxi driver, who said Tabarhosseini appeared “incredibly agitated and was speaking about having assaulted his drug dealer”.
On April 12, four days after Mr Alderton's body was discovered, Tabarhosseini was arrested in London.
After an 11-day trial at Lewes Crown Court, he was sentenced to a minimum tariff of 30 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Vickers said Tabarhosseini killed Mr Alderton in a “violent, sustained and pre-meditated attack”.
“He travelled to Hastings with intent to confront Darren, with intent to steal drugs and money from him, and with intent to cause him harm,” she said.
"Tabarhosseini then went to great lengths to try and cover up his crime. He changed his clothing on multiple occasions and disposed of evidence in different bins in Hastings, Rye and at his home in Dover.
“He even tried to leave the country and when that was unsuccessful, he tried to evade arrest in London.”
Inspector Vickers said Tabarhosseini was a “dangerous offender”.
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