Man who killed Downham Market man and staged his suicide jailed

A man who killed another man by getting him in a headlock and then tried to cover it up as a suicide has been jailed for 18 years.

Steven Louro, 43, suffocated Jan Hogan during a drinking session in Downham Market in 2010.

He and his friend Lester Aisthorpe, 58, then carried Mr Hogan's body back to his own flat in Basil Drive and attempted to make it look like he'd killed himself by putting a cable around his neck.

An investigation into Mr Hogan's death was dropped at one point due to a lack of evidence, but Norfolk Police reopened the case in 2017 and both Louro and Aisthorpe were arrested a year later.

Louro eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter, as well as perverting the course of justice, and was sentenced to 18 years and seven months in prison.

Aisthorpe was handed a three-year sentence for his role.

"On the night of 23 May 2010, these two acted together in a callous manner attempting to stage a scene of suicide and cover up what Louro had done to Jan Hogan. They did this for their own benefit to avoid prosecution and have denied Jan’s family the truth of what happened for almost nine years," Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Chapman said.

"This has been such a devastating time for the family of Jan, who have waited so long for the truth and who I praise for their continued appeals and support and I am thankful to those who helped the police with this investigation to ensure justice has been done.”