Man jailed for Hereford murder

[Hereford Voice]

A man has today, 12 September, been sentenced for the murder of 54-year-old Jamie Gawler.

Matthew Jonathan, 39, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty and was handed 32 years at Worcester Crown Court.

Please note: the injuries depicted here were the result of a medical episode.

On Saturday 18 January 2025, the brother of Mr Gawler called his mobile phone which was answered by a South Wales police officer. The officer informed him that the phone had been found by police earlier that day at Porth railway station.

He was then concerned for the welfare of his brother and attended his flat on Brierley Court in Hereford. Upon entering the property, he sadly found him deceased.

When South Wales police officers found Jamie’s mobile phone at Porth railway station they also located bank cards in his name along with bank cards in the name of Matthew Jonathan.

A murder investigation was launched, and Jonathan became a suspect.

Jonathan was arrested on Sunday 19 January by South Wales Police and subsequently transferred to Hereford Police Station, where he was interviewed by detectives.

It was quickly established that Jamie had died as the result of a vicious and prolonged assault over a number of days at the hands of Jonathan, which he filmed on his mobile phone, and he was charged with murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher, of West Mercia Police’s Major Investigation Unit, said:

“We really welcome todays sentencing of Mathew Jonathan.

“He will now serve a significant period of time in prison and whilst it will never bring Jamie back to his loved ones, hopefully it will bring some closure towards being an unimaginably difficult time for them.

“Thankfully, Jonathan pleaded guilty to the murder and that saved his family going through and reliving the ordeal that Jamie went through in the final days of his life.

“I would also like to thank my investigation team who worked tirelessly, through some extremely difficult circumstances, to bring about today’s sentencing.

“The investigation involved various teams from a number of forces who all worked together to bring Jonathan to justice”.

In a statement Jamie’s family said:

“We would like to thank the West Mercia Police and prosecution team for their dedication and support in bringing this case to its conclusion.

“The last eight months have been extremely traumatic for our family as we try, in our own way, to process the loss of Jamie, our son, brother, uncle and friend to many. Our lives have been changed forever and today has been another difficult day having to revisit what happened, but we are glad that some justice has been achieved.

“Jamie will be forever in our hearts and remembered as the kind, funny and gentle man that he was.”