A homeless man will spend a minimum of 18 years behind bars after he murdered a friend during a drinking session outside a village church.

Maidstone Crown Court today heard how Ruslan Piktorov stamped on, kicked and punched Trevor Hillman more than 70 times during a savage and unprovoked hour-long assault at St Peter and St Paul church, Headcorn, in October.

The 40-year-old Lithuanian had met 57-year-old Mr Hillman, a plasterer, in the village and had drunk alcohol and eaten with him before the incident, even kissing and cuddling his victim.

CCTV footage shows Piktorov making three trips to an ATM during the course of the evening — one of which was after the attack — and attempting 19 times to withdraw money from Mr Hillman's account.

The full horror of the attack was also caught on film, with the majority of blows landed after the victim had become motionless.

Video: How Trevor Hillman's death shocked the community

Piktorov, who has spent 13 years in prison in a number of countries, can be seen to sit on the victim's legs and smoke during the assault, strangle Mr Hillman with his own belt and then search his body.

He also smashed a light in the porch in an attempt to cover up his actions.

The following morning he was seen stuffing a bag of bloodied clothes into a bin outside the village's train station and caught a service to London where he approached officers and said he "may have killed someone."

Judge Jeremy Carey ruled this morning that there was no financial motive to the crime, despite the trips to a cash machine.

He sentenced Piktorov to life in prison, with a minimum of 18 years without parole, saying: "No sentence this court can impose can do justice to the loss of Mr Hillman."

He added: "The impact of your crime on those who endured the shock of finding Mr Hillman and the loss of a much loved member of the community is very severe."

The police and Crown Prosecution Service were commended for their thorough work during the case.

Det Insp Lee Whiteheadfrom the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "Mr Hillman was a defenceless victim of a brutal attack which lasted almost an hour. Every single one of his ribs was broken and Piktorov continued to deliver blows when he lay motionless on the ground.

"Pikitorov made repeated attempts to steal money out of Mr Hillman’s bank account and the following day then tried to hide the evidence of his crime by disposing of the bloodied clothes he had been wearing.

"The level of violence used to murder his victim was truly horrific. Mr Hillman was homeless, but he was very well known by a large number of people and this terrible crime has had a profound effect on the local community."

For an extended special report on the murder investigation and court case pick up a copy of this week's Weald Kent Messenger, out tomorrow.

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