Cold-blooded killer's foul-mouthed spray in court after learning his fate over 'ruthless and inhuman' murder
The body of Steven Murphy was discovered by police in a hole at a property in Kudla, in Adelaide 's northern outskirts in April 2023, two months after he went missing.
The 38-year-old father-of-two was found in a man-made bunker measuring 15metres by 15metres underneath a backyard shed.
Keith Yandle, now-48-years-old, was charged with Mr Murphy's alleged murder, after police visited his property following a 'tip-off'.
On Friday, Yandle was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison for the 2023 shooting murder, Nine News reported.
'You think you're good people, but you're a bunch of c***s,' he said after the sentence was delivered.
The court heard Mr Murphy had been sleeping rough when he broke into Yandle's shed in February, 2023.
Yandle found Mr Murphy unarmed and cowering in CCTV footage, before shooting the father four times and waiting for him to die.
Mr Murphy's uncle Sean lashed out at the murderer after the sentencing, calling him a 'worthless grub'.
'He'll die a lonely old man in prison for the rest of his worthless life. He's going to have to reflect on what he did,' he said.
'I held Steven as a baby and he's been a beautiful man ever since and Keith Yandle chose to end a beautiful life.'
Yandle, who was found guilty in February this year of shooting Mr Murphy, will become eligible for parole when he is almost 80-years-old.
Justice Anne Bampton said the murder was 'calculated, ruthless and inhumane' during her sentencing decision.
'You chose to murder Mr Murphy and you did so in front of your son,' she told Yandle, according to ABC News.
'You showed utter disregard for Mr Murphy and his family as demonstrated by you first kicking and then stepping on Mr Murphy's hand, I infer to check whether he was alive.
'The comments that you made to your brother about the person you had fixed up being homeless and that he did not matter are demonstrative of the ruthless and inhumane attitude you had towards Mr Murphy.'
The judge noted that Yandle's crime 'was not a momentary loss of control or momentary overreaction'.
'You were aware of the trespasser's presence in the nights leading up to 19th of February and you were looking for him on the night of the murder,' she said.
'You did not seek the police assistance to deal with the trespass, you took the law into your own hands.
'I sentence you on the basis that you did not happen across Mr Murphy in your shed with no forewarning… you left your house with a loaded semi-automatic rifle, and your son accompanied you armed with a baseball bat, you were ready for a confrontation in the shed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Diddy's trial is more proof the legal system can't handle domestic violence
Wouldn't it be nice if, just now and again, bad things happened to bad people? Wouldn't it be refreshing if violence against women was taken seriously instead of being treated like one big joke? Yes, but alas, that is not the world we live in. Over here in reality, we've got an adjudicated sexual predator as president, a defense secretary who has been accused of sexual assault and aggressive behaviour towards his second wife, and a supreme court where a third of the male justices who get a final say on legal issues have been accused of sexual misconduct. And we've got Sean 'Diddy' Combs: the disgraced entertainer who escaped this week with what many people consider to be a slap on the wrist after a New York jury delivered a mixed verdict in his seven-week federal sex-trafficking trial. The trial was focused on allegations that Combs had coerced two women, including his ex-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, to take part in 'freak offs': drug-fueled sexual encounters involving hired male prostitutes and humiliating acts. I don't want to downplay the Diddy verdict. While Combs was acquitted on the most serious federal charges, of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, he was still found guilty of the lesser charges of transporting the male prostitutes he allegedly forced women to have sex with across state lines. The disgraced musician was also denied bail and is facing a barrage of new civil cases alleging abuse and assault. While we still don't know how much time (if any) Combs will be sentenced to, he did not get off scot-free. I also don't want to boil the results of a complex trial down to 'misogyny'. It would be overly simplistic to say that the jury of eight men and four women in the Diddy trial simply didn't believe women. The fact is Diddy was not on trial for being an abuser, or a bad person, or for his highly publicized battery of Cassie, one horrifying instance of which was caught on camera and the subject of a previous civil case. He was on trial for a specific set of charges, the most serious of which the prosecution did not have enough evidence to prove. But this is not to say that justice was done. Far from it. The trial is yet another demonstration that the legal system is ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of intimate partner violence, the ways in which survivors deal with trauma, and the uneven power dynamics weaponized by abusers. If we had better legal frameworks for domestic violence and coercive control, perhaps prosecutors would not have turned to trafficking charges to try to secure justice. 'Trafficking cases come with longer statutes of limitations, more severe penalties and more public support,' notes the human-trafficking expert Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco in USA Today. 'And existing domestic violence statutes are often outdated or ill-equipped to address coercive control, especially when the abuser is wealthy, powerful and legally savvy.' It's not just the law that is ill-equipped to address coercive control – this complex issue is still minimized by some factions of the media. A Washington Post piece (written by two women), for example, described Combs as a 'music producer turned modern-day Gatsby', a framing which casts the 'freak offs' as hedonism rather than something more sinister. The writer Sarah Kendzior notes that allusions to F Scott Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby have been used to soften the image of high-level sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein for decades. In the courts of public opinion, men like Combs are also far too often seen as playboys rather than predators. After the verdict on Wednesday, CNN reported that several spectators could be seen pouring baby oil on themselves, along with wearing T-shirts reading: A Freako is not a RICO (RICO is a reference to the racketeering charges). Perhaps what is most depressing about the Diddy verdict is that it is all too easy to imagine a path in which Combs finds his way back to prominence in public life. Donald Trump hasn't ruled out pardoning Diddy and it is not inconceivable that he might; birds of a feather stick together, after all. Chris Brown still has a music career despite being charged with felony assault following a domestic violence incident when he beat up Rihanna in 2009. Brett Ratner is directing the very expensive Prime Video documentary about Melania Trump despite being accused of sexual misconduct by six women (he has denied the claims). With enough money, good lawyers and the right connections, you can get away with almost anything. The indictment against Diddy is titled United States of America v Sean Combs, AKA 'Puff Daddy', AKA ' AKA 'Diddy', AKA 'PD', AKA 'Love'. And yet some people think that calling someone by their preferred pronouns is too complicated. 'Tigray is often described as a forgotten war,' Tess McClure writes in an incredibly disturbing but essential read. 'If it has been forgotten, it is not by those who endured it, but by the global powers that looked away from one of the most brutal conflicts of this century.' That brutality includes reported wartime sexual abuse by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers against tens of thousands of Tigrayan women. More brilliant reporting from ProPublica on the devastating effects of abortion bans. There's a longstanding idea that women are fine-tuned to hear babies crying in a way that men aren't. A new study has debunked this. Turns out there's no excuse for the fact mothers are still performing three times more night-time care than fathers. Sign up to The Week in Patriarchy Get Arwa Mahdawi's weekly recap of the most important stories on feminism and sexism and those fighting for equality after newsletter promotion Wired invited a bunch of people in serious relationships with AI partners to a romantic weekend getaway at a remote Airbnb. Agatha Christie would have had a field day with this. Denmark colonized Greenland in the 18th century, then turned it into an autonomous territory. The 'Danization' of Indigenous Greenlanders continues, however. Countless Greenlandic mothers living in Denmark have been separated from their children after failing highly controversial 'parenting competency' tests. These tests 'have been criticised by campaigners and human rights bodies that say they are culturally unsuitable for people from Inuit backgrounds, and therefore discriminatory', the Guardian reports. Médecins Sans Frontières calls for the immediate dismantling of 'the Israeli-US proxy operating under the name the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'. There is nothing humanitarian about a system where 'over 500 people have been killed and nearly 4,000 have been wounded while trying to get food'. Shame on everyone trying to rebrand and obfuscate Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, including all the media companies trying to censor documentaries coming out about the horrors in Gaza and the media personalities and politicians who are more appalled by musicians at Glastonbury than babies dying from engineered starvation. Moira Donegan analyzes the Trump administration and the supreme court's attacks on Planned Parenthood, which mean nearly a third of their clinics may have to close: 'The result is a de facto ban not just on abortion, but on any healthcare provision by pro-choice providers for vast swaths of American women.' Forget snakes on a plane, Santa Barbara has been dealing with sheep on the street. More than 300 sheep caused a traffic jam after escaping from their pens in California. They were eventually returned to safety but for a little while the traffic situation was very baaaaaad. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The sick British serial killers you've never heard of: Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw planned to rape and kill a new woman each week... with new victims still coming forward today
Two of Britain's worst ever serial killers, who have been forgotten by history, may finally face justice after the Gardai face pressure to open a cold case against them. Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw travelled from the UK to Ireland to carry out a pre-planned crime spree in the 1970s before being caught and sentenced to life in prison. They were dubbed Ireland's first serial killers after fleeing from England with a plan to rape and murder a new woman each week in the Emerald Isle. After their arrest, they confessed to the murder of both Mary Duffy from Galway, and Elizabeth Plunkett, who was originally from Ringsend in Dublin. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew charges related to Elizabeth's death and the pair were only convicted for Mary's murder back in 1978. They were sentenced to life in prison. Now, eight women have come forward to allege they were potentially targeted by the serial killers, whiles the family of Plunkett have launched a fresh call for a cold case review. Shaw, now in his late 70s, is said to be a 'nervous wreck' behind bars and worried that further cases will stop his chances of day release, according to Irish media. Evans died behind bars in 2012. Speaking on RTÉ podcast Stolen Sister, Elizabeth's family have shared their fight for justice and recounted one of the most horrifying chapters of their lives. Since the launch of the podcast, eight women have come forward to allege they were potentially targeted by serial killers. Solicitor James McGuill, who represents Elizabeth Plunkett's family, is gathering the testimonies. One witness said she was hit by a car on the way home from a pub on the same night Plunkett was killed by the pair after leaving the same pub. More women have come forward with 'strikingly similar accounts of being pursued by these two guys,' Mr McGuill told the Irish Times. In August 1976, Elizabeth had travelled to Brittas Bay, Wicklow, for a weekend away with her boyfriend Damian and a group of friends. After having a trivial quarrel with her boyfriend at McDaniels pub she left alone and accepted a ride from two men in a van, who were on the hunt for women. The 23-year-old was dragged into Castletimon Woods, where she was raped and strangled to death with her own blouse sleeve before the killers weighed her body down with a lawn‑mower and dumped her at sea. Her distraught family and friends launched a frantic search but four weeks later her remains washed ashore on Duncormick Beach and she was identified through dental records. Speaking on the podcast, Kathleen Nolan and Bernie Plunkett, sisters of Elizabeth who are now in their 60's, recounted the moment their family were told of their sister's disappearance. Bernie, who was 19 at the time, said: 'Damien came down and he told us they had a row, and Elizabeth said she was going home. He said they searched for her and they can not find her.' Kathleen, who was 14 at the time, remembered her mother instinctively knowing that Elizabeth was dead. She said: 'Immediately she said ''well why would she not be able to make her way home from Wicklow, she had been all around, she knows her stuff, there is nothing to stop her from getting from A to B.' My mam said ''Elizabeth is dead, otherwise she would be here'', she just knew.' The family immediately reported her missing to police and Damien went back to Wicklow to see if she had showed up at the caravan park they were staying in. However by the Monday there was still no sign of the 23-year-old and the family knew something was wrong. One week after her disappearance police led an extensive search around Brittas Bay and Elizabeth's friends found her bra and shoes in the wooded area. Elizabeth's brother Thomas said: 'I remember looking at the pair of shoes, and this is the worst part for me to talk about... when she was being dragged the dirt was on the back of her heels.' The family also found Elizabeth's watch and scarf and later police found a pair of men's black boots in a laneway leading into the woods and a piece of cardboard with the name Geoffrey Murphy written on it. Geoffrey Murphy was the name Evans was using as his false name in Ireland. Police managed to piece together the clues and soon they were looking for Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw. One month after she was abducted, Elizabeth's body washed ashore on Duncormick Beach. Due to the level of decomposition, the post-mortem examination in 1976 did not record an official cause of death. However it said it was probable she was dead before entering the water because there was no water in her lungs. The salt water had also washed any forensic evidence that could link Shaw and Evans to her murder. While the coroner at the time could not say her death was a result of strangulation, he also could not rule that out. Once the post-mortem examination was over Elizabeth's body was released back to the family. Speaking on the podcast, her brother Thomas said: 'It was the first time I ever saw my father cry, we didn't know it then but our family would never be the same again.' As suspicions grew around the two Englishmen roaming freely around Ireland, Gardaí issued a nationwide alert for their capture, but no one knew these men were already hatching another chilling plan, to abduct, rape, and murder another woman. Another young woman in Fethard, Co Tipperary, reported being chased by two men, who she later identified as Shaw and Evans, after watching a television report of their arrest. Speaking on the podcast, the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, recalled: 'I was walking home down rural country roads, roads that I had walked all my life, it was a lovely evening around 9pm. 'I hadn't walked too far up the the road when a car passed me by and then stopped, as I walked closer to it two men got out and started running at me, I knew immediately I was in trouble. 'I was a fit 18-year-old woman so I ran for my life, I had no idea who these men were but I knew I had to get away. I was terrified in that moment. 'I ran back to my friends house and jumped a large garden wall to get in off the road, I could still hear their footsteps running behind me. I ran in the front door of my friends house and locked it behind me, I got an awful fright at the time. 'My friends brother dropped me home, I told my parents what happened and my father reported it to the local Guardì.' A further eight women came forward to allege they were potentially targeted by serial two men in 1976, but they managed to get away. Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw, from the Greater Manchester area, who were both married with children of their own, had fled England from rape charges and had spent a year in prison in Ireland for various robberies. They were on bail from a Dublin court and were due to be extradited back to the UK to face multiple charges, including the rape of three women, one of a 16-year-old girl. However, on September 10, the two men were meant to be appearing in the Bridewell in Dublin, explaining why they should not be extradited back to England, but they never showed. They had stolen a car and were ready to seek out their next victim, 23-year-old Mary Duffy. On the evening of September 22, Mary finished her shift at the Coffee Shop on Ellison Street, County Mayo. She did not have any money on her, so borrowed some coins from a colleague to call her brother Michael to ask him to collect her but he was fixing a customers car at a local garage where he worked. Shaw and Evans had been watching Mary make the phone call, then leave and start walking alone. Once more, Shaw exited the car, and Evans parked it further up the street, Shaw followed her silently, and then, when she came alongside the parked car, he dragged her in. Some locals heard screams but couldn't see anything. Shaw said in his statement to police: 'Somewhere along the road, I started to drive and Geoff got into the back of the car with her. She didn't scream but said, "Don't do me any harm".' They stopped at the derelict railway station building near Ballinahinch were they dragged Mary out of the car, stripped her naked, and took her into the woods before taking turns raping her throughout the night. They held Mary captive for over 24 hours in the woods, they gave her valium, tried to feed her a cheese sandwich but she refused and eventually they strangled her to death. A few days later the men were caught in Galway on September 26, 1976, while planning a third abduction. A team of 35 divers, from Garda, Naval and Army units, including civilian volunteers, spent almost two weeks searching Lough Inagh for Mary's body. Mary's body was eventually located in a crevice by volunteer diver and she was buried in Elmhall Cemetery in her home village of Belcarra, Co Mayo, on October 13. During police interviews Evan's confessed to abducted, raping and killing Elizabeth and Mary, he even told police where to find Mary's body. In a police interview about Elizabeth's death, Shaw said: 'We passed her out and Geoffrey stopped, I got out and he turned the car and went back and picked up the girl.' Evans added: 'She said ''are you going to Dublin, I said I'm not going to Dublin but I can still give you a lift, she got into the front passenger seat.' Shaw said: 'He then picked me up, I was in the back and the girl was in the front seat. She told us she had a row with her boyfriend. Evans added: 'We were talking about normal things for a while and then we started messing with the girl. She started to scream in the car and we shoved tissue's in her mouth.' The men revealed they then drove to the nearby wooded area and dragged Elizabeth out of the car. However, during the Garda investigation, Shaw and Evans turned on one another-each blaming the other for the murders. They both received life sentences and became known as the State's first serial killers. Shaw is Ireland's longest-serving prisoner. Evans died age 68 from sepsis in St Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park on May 20, 2012, where he had been in a coma for several years following a stroke after heart bypass surgery in December 2008. No family claimed his body and he was buried by the state in an unmarked grave in Ireland. However, for nearly half a century, the Plunkett family believed justice had been served, only to be blindsided in 2023, when they were told Elizabeth was never legally recognised as a murder victim. This shocking revelation emerged during parole discussions for Shaw, who remains incarcerated. Originally both men were charged with murder, rape and false imprisonment of Elizabeth and Mary. However, when Shaw began a parole application nearly two years ago, it was revealed he had never been convicted for Elizabeth's murder. It was also revealed to the Plunkett family that the State never held an inquest into the death of Elizabeth and they never issued a death certificate in her name. While Shaw was never convicted of crimes against Elizabeth, Evans was convicted of her rape and false imprisonment, but not murder, something the family had been unaware of until 2023. They learned the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew charges related to Elizabeth's death by entering a nolle prosequi, which is a formal notice of abandonment. Meaning the pair were only convicted for Mary Duffy's murder back in 1978, receiving mandatory life sentences. Despite both men confessing to her abduction and murder, unbelievably no one has ever been found guilty of Elizabeth's murder. Speaking to the podcast, Elizabeth's brother Thomas said: 'We never got to know did my dad understand that for some legal reason Shaw was never convicted of Elizabeth's murder. 'I think my father was told that these men would never ever see freedom again.' Bernie added: 'My father was fobbed off, it was easy to fob off a man who was absolutely devastated, distraught and completely out of his depth.' Kathleen said: 'I didn't understand the courts at 18-years of age, other then if someone goes to jail it means they done wrong and they went to jail.' Their father died of a heart attack while he was driving and a year later their mother also died, seven years after Elizabeth's murder. In January this year, an inquest returned a long-overdue verdict of unlawful killing, with coroner Dr. Sean Nixon confirming asphyxia from strangulation as the cause of death. Solicitor James MacGuill read a statement on behalf of the Plunkett family in January 2025 outside the court. He said: 'Elizabeth was hunted down and savagely killed by two men who, less than a month later, went on to murder another woman, Mary Duffy. 'Despite these vile criminals confessing to murdering both Elizabeth and Mary, they were only ever convicted of Mary's murder. 'With this new development, we're calling on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to reopen the case into Elizabeth's death and submit a new file to the DPP. 'Although one culprit died, the other remains in an Irish prison for murdering Mary Duffy. 'But he also confessed and was charged with falsely imprisoning, raping and murdering our sister Elizabeth – yet the DPP decided against prosecuting him for these crimes by entering a nolle prosequi. We now want the DPP to explain that decision. 'Our family, and in particular, our parents Tommy and Kathleen, were destroyed by Elizabeth's murder. They never recovered from her death. 'We relied on the authorities to do their job at that time – but they failed us – and they failed our cherished sister.' According to information given to the Plunkett family by the Victim Liaison Office of the Irish Prison Service, Shaw's most recent parole application has been refused. He will be eligible to apply for parole again in February of next year. The family of Elizabeth are hoping the Garda Commissioner decides to reopen the case and resubmit charges against Shaw.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My friend told me he was a producer on Strictly and had a brain tumour... and then stole thousands from me - it was a pack of lies
A heartless fraudster who conned an old school friend out of thousands of pounds by telling him he had terminal brain cancer has been freed from prison just days after being convicted - leaving his victim fearing '100 per cent he'll do it again'. Matthew Howarth, 32, of Atherton, Greater Manchester, was jailed last month for fraud by false representation, having callously told Tom Lee he only had weeks to live. Tom, also 32, who was vulnerable after splitting up with his long-time partner, became distraught at the thought that Howarth might die without specialist private treatment and handed over £2,700 to help save his friend's life. But his compassion turned to distress after Tom discovered Howarth's illness was a fantastical lie - one of many he claims he was fed over 14 months. When Howarth was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Wigan Magistrates Court, his former friend believed there was at least some sense of justice for the emotional and financial pain that had been inflicted on him. But within just days, Howarth successfully appealed and had his imprisonment reduced to a 20-week suspended sentence, with three months on an electronic tag. Other conditions , including paying Tom £1,200 compensation and obeying a two-year restraining order, remain the same. Yet his victim has been left seething that the con man is 'out and about like nothing happened' - and fears others could fall prey to him once more. Howarth, 32, contacted Tom (right) out of the blue, around 16 years after they left secondary school, then falsely informed him he only had weeks to live Since his conviction, MailOnline has heard from others who became embroiled in Howarth's deception and can now reveal his 'wild lies' stretch back at least ten years - while using no less than five aliases. Aside from feigning terminal cancer, Howarth previously spun a narrative he was a successful BBC producer who had amassed millions of pounds. According to the story he told Tom, the courts had put a block on his assets because he was 'being blackmailed' for 'knowing too much' about other celebrities. He claimed to be involved with flagship TV shows, including Strictly and Children In Need, and set up private Facebook groups promising 'insider knowledge' to fans. The groups - named Switched On! and Strictly Between Us - featured a dazzling array of celebrities, including Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, Shirley Ballas, Michelle Visage, Louise Redknapp and Melanie Blatt. These household names would write effusive posts praising Howarth's talent. Yet all of these 'celebrity' members were unmasked over time as fake profiles operated by Howarth himself. Scores of Facebook members also reported receiving unsolicited messages and emails - seen by MailOnline - that were sent from Howarth detailing how he had endured a troubled childhood and was now facing financial difficulty. According to the recipients of those emails, he allegedly received money from at least one woman and 'gifts' from others who took pity on his plight. MailOnline understands that when they threatened to expose him to the police, Howarth ceased his social media activities - but turned instead to finding a victim in the 'real world'. It was at this moment Howarth rekindled his friendship with Tom having not been in contact with him for 16 years. Speaking for the first time about his betrayal, the telecommunications worker told MailOnline he is still coming to terms with the 'sick' lies told to him by a man he considered his friend. 'After all, if somebody is going to scam someone, you would think they would do it to a person who doesn't know absolutely everything about them,' reflected Tom. It was at Hesketh Fletcher High School, now renamed Atherton High School, that the pair first met. 'We were good friends all the way through school,' explained Tom. 'We were both quiet and shy and grew very close.' At the end of their GCSEs, Tom and Howarth transferred to Pendleton Sixth Form College in Salford, where they 'started to drift apart a little', and by the time they ended their studies each naturally went their own way. Over the years, Tom often wondered what happened to his old classmate, but it seemed he had vanished without a trace. 'I tried to find him, but couldn't see him on Facebook. I later found out he just had a very locked down profile, so people couldn't find him. 'He would add somebody if he wanted to, but he didn't want to be found. He made himself hidden.' Little did Tom know it was during this time that jobless Howarth had begun running a series of Facebook groups, where he played out the fantasy of being a prominent producer for BBC and ITV. During these years he went under a variety of aliases that included Matt Alan, Matt Eagleton, Matt Totton, Matt MacLean and Matt Totton Eagleton. Having been chased off social media by those who had grown wise to his deception, Howarth turned to the friend he hadn't spoken to since he was a teenager. Tom recalled: 'He contacted me around April 2023. My profile at the time was quite open on Facebook and I had posted about splitting up with my partner of nine years. 'He told me I was one of only a few people he liked in school and college, and that he wanted to get in touch with me again. 'Matthew claimed that when he was in the TV business in London, which was a lie, he met many people who had stabbed him in the back and he just wanted to reach out to a 'true' friend. A profile posing as Claudia Winkleman - which was operated by Howarth - called him 'a star' 'We got talking and and decided to meet up. I was happy to have somebody to speak to, because in my past relationship I had become isolated from my friends and it was just me and her. 'After we split up, I didn't have anyone. 'To have someone reach out to me, who I had known from school and I thought was a friend felt really nice, because I wasn't in a good place at the time. 'But looking back now I think he had seen my posts on Facebook and knew I was vulnerable.' Convinced by Howarth that it was 'good timing' and the rekindling of their friendship was 'meant to happen', Tom gradually welcomed his old school chum back into his life. The pair would often hang out together at Tom's flat in Atherton. 'He never wanted to go out anywhere,' continued Tom. 'He would say Atherton was not a nice place. At the time, I didn't have a car and couldn't afford one and he doesn't drive, so we just hung around my flat. 'I since found out he was speaking to other people in the area as well, including two others who went to our school. He clearly just didn't want to be seen in the area, because people were starting to catch on to what he was doing.' Just weeks after rekindling their friendship Howarth told Tom that had just months left to live after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour Just four weeks into their renewed friendship, Howarth dropped a bombshell - and told Tom he had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. 'It was such a rollercoaster of emotions. I thought I could start building a friendship again - and then he told me he had terminal cancer. 'I couldn't believe it. The one person who had got back in contact with me was now potentially going to die. 'I felt terrible for him and at the same time I feared I was going to go back to having nobody again.' Unrepentant with his deceit, Howarth went on to relate how he had become extremely wealthy through his career as an executive TV producer - but that he had been blackmailed and had his assets locked away by the courts for his own protection. After his diagnosis, the courts had 'allowed him to pay hundreds of thousands for private treatment at a hospital in Cheadle'. He had private insurance, but there was an excess of £10,000 to pay for a new treatment and a generous 'friend' had given him £7,300. 'If he could get the rest of the money he would have a 90 per cent chance of living,' Tom recalled Howarth telling him. 'I didn't want to question what he was saying and ask to see proof of his cancer, because that's a strange thing to say if someone tells you such news - in most cases you would just believe them. 'He told me on another occasion he had been abused and I just didn't think anyone could make something like that up. 'I did have doubts about his TV career. It seemed far-fetched and unbelievable, but also slightly possible. 'He had been interested in TV and the media while we were at college. And I knew his name, his school, his address. I knew all this stuff. I thought surely he wouldn't lie and make it all up.' Howarth went as far as telling Tom he wanted to 'just give up and die' if he could not get hold of the extra money needed for his 'treatment'. Bolstered at the thought that Howarth could pay him back at some point - given that he was a financially viable 'millionaire' - he offered to take out a loan through his work while securing a second loan through a finance company to make up the balance. 'For me it was a case of a friend dying or a friend surviving - I couldn't just sit there quietly doing nothing when I could get a loan for them,' reflected Tom. In October 2023, Tom transferred £2,700 to Howarth, with the understanding he would approach his friend for repayments once he was better. But then Tom's financial situation became even more strained after Howarth told him the treatment was not working and he would likely die within months. It was at that moment he convinced Tom to buy a car. 'He kept saying he wanted to go out, but he couldn't drive and he didn't want to go around Atherton. I work from home so I didn't really need a car - but I really wanted to keep the friendship up with Matthew. 'I later regretted that when I saw how much I was having to pay for everything.' Now saddled with two loans and a car finance agreement, Tom said some months passed before he was approached again by Howarth for more money that could fund 'groundbreaking treatments' for him. This time he asked for £27,000. 'I told him it was not going to be possible. With the loans and the car finance, I didn't think I could even be approved for a sum like that.' But Howarth became relentless. 'He asked if I could approach my family - and to tell them it was for repairs for the car. He lowered it to £14,000 pounds, but I told him that wasn't going to happen. Howarth kept group members up-to-date with details about his ever-flourishing media career 'Then he told me the doctors said they could accept payment in two halves - £7,000 this month and £7,000 next month.' It was at this point Tom began seeing red flags and approached his father and stepmother for advice. But after searching Howarth's name, his stepmother came across a series of worrying social media posts referring to his past activities on social media and calling him a 'con man'. There is even a dedicated Facebook group with nearly 200 members set up 'for those duped by Matt' established 'by those who helped put an end to his current web of lies, some of whom were also taken in for a time.' 'It was unbelievable,' said Tom. 'Even though I was shown all these things I still didn't want to believe it. I suppose you could say I was in denial. 'My stomach dropped and I felt sick. I saw the proof, but I didn't want it to be true.' MailOnline spoke to a former member of Strictly Between Us, a private group for fans of BBC's flagship Strictly show, which was set up by Howarth under the name 'Matthew Alan' in 2017. Speaking on condition of anonymity, she said: 'There were lots of celebrities on there, but they appeared under their less publicly known names. So Shirley Ballas, for example, was in there under Shirley Rich, her maiden name. Shirley Rich - a profile purporting to be Shirley Ballas - posted 'if only there were more people in the world like [Matt]' 'When I look back at it, I think how on earth did any of us believe him? But we didn't know at the time that he was posting from these "celebrity" accounts himself. 'They all used to praise Matt and say how amazing he was. "Claudia Wink", who we thought was Claudia Winkleman, called him 'an absolute joy', while Shirley Rich posted 'if only there were more people in the world like [Matt].' 'All the posts were like that.' Howarth kept his group members interested by posting 'behind the scenes' images from the Strictly set - though none showing him inside the actual location - as well as keeping them up-to-date with details about his ever-flourishing media career. In one he told his followers how in just five years he had gone from being a BBC radio producer to moving into television to 'launch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC 2', before being 'asked to oversee the production on Strictly & even producing Gary Barlow's "Let It Shine".' He claimed at the end of the post that he had been appointed 'Vice-Chairman at Children In Need.' The member also revealed that Howarth placed himself at the centre of major news stories at the time, including being at the scene of the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017. Howarth told the group: 'The things I saw at the scene of the arena that night shall never leave my mind. I personally helped children find their parents that night, I stayed with some for a large amount of time. I was able to activate some local Children In Need emergency schemes, which helped families whose relatives couldn't be found or had come from a distance.' An extract from a letter sent by BBC's security team to a group member who complained that celebrity profiles appearing on Howarth's groups were fake The member said: 'I look back at that now and just think how could he do that? There were so many things not beginning to add up and I became concerned.' Her alarm bells went off further after she received an email from Howarth detailing how he was 'struggling' with family traumas, while battling health and financial troubles. The email stated: 'I'm very good at smiling to everybody and covering up the cracks so to speak, good at covering the emotions if you like, but right now it's all getting a little bit too much, and you being somebody I look up too [sic] is why I'm telling you my story.' After receiving the email, she contacted the BBC and the police and claimed she was told: 'We know who this is - it's not the first time he has done this.' A letter seen by MailOnline sent to her from BBC's security team added: 'This is not the first time that fake profiles have been associated to this individual...' She said she became increasingly worried about Howarth's motives for contacting her and believed he 'knew how to manipulate'. 'I felt that he would have happily taken money from me if I had offered - and I thought, if you're doing that to me, what are you sending to the others?' A second source, who also wishes to remain anonymous, told MailOnline that she had been contacted in 2015 by Howarth to join a viewer feedback group for Strictly called Switched On. 'I found it a little over the top,' she said. 'He was sending all these very long, rambling messages and pictures of himself, but there were red flags in the phrases he used. 'So he would say things like "believe me, you" instead of "believe you, me" - and then Shirley Ballas would say "believe me, you" and I thought, that's a bit odd.' Concerned he was a scammer, the source spoke to TV personality Debbie McGee, who she knew personally and happened to appear on Strictly in 2017. 'I showed her a picture of him on my phone and when I asked if he was one of the producers she said no. I thought he's probably just a runner and has been bigging himself up.' Then in 2019 she began receiving direct emails from Howarth similar to those received by others. 'He was obviously hinting at wanting money, but there was no way I was giving him any,' she said. 'It felt like classic conman stuff and I reported him to Action Fraud.' After being presented with other similar testimonies, Tom decided to confront his friend - but was left surprised by Howarth's response. 'I told him I couldn't get the money and then I mentioned this evidence I had seen. 'He outright denied everything and still stuck to his story. Matthew seemed to cry on command.' When Howarth refused to provide evidence of his 'illness', Tom reported him to police in August 2024 and did not see him again until he appeared in court. Inquiries revealed Howarth - who lives with his housebound mother in Atherton, Greater Manchester - had no terminal illness. He was even found to have shamelessly referenced the Princess of Wales' cancer treatment on his personal Facebook page, adding ironically: 'Someone I used to know lied about a cancer diagnosis to get benefits and a new property. 'What sort of despicable human being does that? Lowest of the low dregs of society. Shame on you!' During proceedings, Wigan Magistrates' Court heard that Howarth 'was arrested and gave full admissions of guilt in the interview.' Shazia Aslam for the prosecution added: 'He said he apologised for doing it and said he was not in the right headspace. 'He said he was in a bad mental space and for that reason he lied to the complainant about having a brain tumour and claiming it was causing him to become seriously ill.' His defence solicitor Duncan Phillips said in mitigation that Howarth had 'suffered multiple traumatic events over a period of time and clearly he is a very vulnerable individual himself.' Despite being handed a custodial term, within days Howarth successfully appealed and had his imprisonment reduced to a 20-week suspended sentence, with three months on an electronic tag. In the years prior to rekindling his friendship with Tom, Howarth was running groups on Facebook for Strictly, where he told members he was a successful BBC producer In another post, Howarth told his followers that he had 'persuaded' the BBC to launch a spin-off show on BBC iPlayer For Tom, the latest development is nothing short of 'very disappointing'. He added: 'Matthew's not going to change. Prison might have changed him. At the very least it would have stopped him from being able to con people again, but now he's free and hasn't been banned from social media. 'These lies he comes up with are to make you feel empathy and to want to help him - and I did. I really felt sorry for him and thought if I can help a friend I will. 'But no mentally sane person would lie about the things he had lied to me about and I'm pretty sure he's aware of what he's doing. 'He'll do anything to get what he wants.'
