A haunted friend of murdered student Jason Brockbank has today told of his horror at hearing how his pal came to die.
Callous Aaron Ray was today jailed for life for stabbing his boyfriend to death in his bed after finding messages from other men on his phone.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Jason, 24, was left to slowly bleed to death following the attack, in September last year, as Ray calmly walked away from the Newcastle student flats and set about covering his tracks.
And tragically Jason, who had been studying at Northumbria University might have survived if he had got medical attention, jurors were told.
Today after seeing Ray, 21, of Mayfield Road in Sunderland, locked up for a minimum of 22 years Jason's childhood friend, Tyler Burns, has told how he is haunted by the way he died after following coverage of the trial.
And the 24-year-old has revealed how gentle Jason would have been defenceless against his cruel killer.
Tyler said: "The lad was harmless. The only thing I can think of is I bet he was so scared. He must have been absolutely petrified at that moment. It's hard to think about. He wouldn't have tried to fight back.
"It shouldn't have happened to him. He was such a lovely person. Jason was totally innocent. He really didn't deserve it."
Jason, who grew-up in Whitehaven in Cumbria, had enjoyed a night out in Newcastle with Ray in the hours before he died.
There was no sign of trouble until they were on their way back to Jason's flat at Mansion Tyne, on Howard Street, on the outskirts of Newcastle city centre.
Footage outside the student accommodation shows Ray kick Jason in the leg as he sits on a low wall before the pair enter the building. Once inside, Ray took Jason's phone into the bathroom and recorded himself scrolling through messages between Jason and other men on the dating app Grindr.
Moments later, he stabbed Jason before callously leaving him to die and he wasn't found for three days.
Tyler, who still lives in Whitehaven followed the court case online.
And he was horrified to learn Jason could have survived.
"He definitely didn't have to die," he said. "Ray knew what had happened but just thought 'I'm going to cover my own tracks."
Tyler previously told how Jason seemed to have had been loving student life in Newcastle before he died.
And he always thought his friend was destined for a bright future.
"He's been jailed for 22 years, but Jason would have done a lot with those 22 years," said Tyler. "He was well on his way. I was expecting to see him on the news after becoming an MP or something.
"He was always so well dressed, well spoken and intelligent."
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