A killer who brutally knifed a "compassionate and caring" grandfather seven times and left him dying on his doorstep has been jailed for 16 years.

Fuelled by alcohol and cannabis, Ajay Porter fatally stabbed 66-year-old Derek O'Hare in the communal hallway of his home at sheltered accommodation for over-55s in Dover.

The tragedy on December 11 last year was described by the judge today (October 25) as "a frenzied and deadly" attack involving "senseless and extreme" violence on a prone man and carried out "in retaliation and revenge".

Canterbury Crown Court had heard the killing occurred after the pensioner and Porter had spent just a few weeks in each other's company.

It was triggered by the vulnerable and infirm pensioner, described by one of his neighbours as "happy, cheerful and always singing", accusing Porter of stealing drugs from him.

But having ruminated over the "perceived slight" and what he considered to be a lack of any suitable apology from Mr O'Hare, the 37-year-old decided to go to his flat in Anstee Road to "resolve" the problem.

It had been alleged by the prosecution at trial that he had arrived armed with a knife and, intent on meting out violence, murdered the pensioner in a "vicious and merciless" attack.

At the time the knife was plunged into Mr O'Hare, he was laying on the concrete floor and backed into a corner, jurors heard.

Residents at the flats also described seeing the killer "ranting, raving, wide-eyed and out of control" in the immediate aftermath.

However, dad-of-five Porter, also from Dover but of no fixed address, claimed he acted out of fear and panic.

He told the court that having been confronted and struck to the head with what he thought was a wooden bat, he lashed out himself while on "autopilot".

But he could only recall inflicting one stab wound - with a knife he claimed the pensioner had brandished - and not the multiple injuries that were suffered by Mr O'Hare to both his shoulders, chest, arm and back.

One measuring 12cm in depth was later described as being "catastrophic and unsurvivable" by a pathologist and delivered with "severe" force. A second which penetrated a lung would have also been fatal.

The 'bat' said to have been used to attack Porter was in fact a stick used by Mr O'Hare as a walking aide, having suffered a significant back injury while working on the tugs with Dover Harbour Board.

It was later found by police broken in two pieces on the top floor landing and on stairs leading down to the first floor.

After the stabbing, Porter fled the property, disposing of the blade he had used to kill Mr O'Hare. The court heard it was never found despite a "substantial" police search.

Jurors heard he also made an "emotional" 90-minute late-night call to his estranged wife before discarding his phone, while his clothes were washed as he moved between his mother and grandmother's addresses in the town.

Porter finally handed himself in to police four days later.

He later confessed to having smoked cannabis on the day of the killing, as well as drinking four cans of beer, four cans of cider, one or two pints in the pub and up to a litre of rum.

Mr O'Hare sadly died at the scene despite resuscitation attempts. He was later described in online tributes as "a man with a big heart".

Porter went on trial earlier this year denying murder, manslaughter and having a bladed article.

He was cleared of the most serious offence, as well as having a bladed article, but convicted by the jury of manslaughter by loss of control after deliberations which lasted for about 11 hours.

Having returned to court today (October 25) for the sentencing hearing, Porter was told he was a "dangerous offender" and therefore a 20-year extended sentence was necessary to protect the public.

It consists of a 16-year term of imprisonment, of which he has to serve at least two-thirds before he can apply for parole.

Once released, and only after it is deemed safe to do so, a further four years will be added to any licence period.

During the hearing, moving victim impact statements from several of Mr O'Hare's relatives were read out as crying could be heard from the public gallery where they sat.

The pensioner was the second youngest of seven children and went on to have four of his own, with five grandchildren.

Two of his three sons and his daughter spoke of their father being "kind, caring, and always having a smile on his face", and of the devastating impact his "horrific" death had had.

Laine O'Hare told the court: "He would always do the right thing. He was a kind, loving soul who didn't take life too seriously, always had a smile on his face and met what life would throw at him.

"He loved speaking to people and helping people. He was a loving dad and a best friend."

He added that he felt like he would be "stuck living a nightmare" for the rest of his life, and that reading or hearing news of others being similarly affected by knife crime was "a constant reminder".

"Dad is my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about at night," continued Mr O'Hare.

"After hearing the evidence (at trial), my overwhelming memory is of my dad, scared, outside his flat, backed into a corner with nowhere to go.

"It's impossible for me to process how my loving, kind Dad could have been killed in such a violent way."

The court heard that after many years working hard and looking after his family, Mr O'Hare dreamt of travelling to South America, and among his possessions found by his relatives after the killing was a newly-issued passport.

‘He loved speaking to people and helping people. He was a loving dad and a best friend...’

His daughter Emily O'Hare said he "loved his life" and, having shown kindness to both Porter and his family, did not deserve to have it taken away in such a "shockingly brutal and wicked way".

"Ajay Porter took the one person I loved the most and the person who loved me the most. He killed part of my life," she added.

"I thought he was safe in Ajay's company. He trusted him and had invited him into his home."

Of her father's generous attitude, Ms O'Hare concluded: "Dad could never understand how people could be so wicked but always taught us to forgive, no matter what.

"On this occasion, I cannot find the strength to honour that. I will never forgive Ajay for what he has done. He took a good man."

Daniel O'Hare, who had seen his father just a few hours before the killing, detailed how the circumstances of the fatal stabbing "haunted" him and had resulted in PTSD.

"He was loved by so many. He was such a big-hearted, moral person and would always stand up for what he thought was right," he added.

Two of the pensioner's sisters told the court how they had hoped to enjoy "old age" with their "charming, warm-hearted and compassionate" sibling, only for him to have been killed by a "self-confessed liar".

Cathleen Hulks wrote: "The devastating violence of my brother's death, the pain and the heartache, the nightmare of it all, will have a long-lasting impact on me and my family for years to come.

"The only thing that will get us through this is the love we have for Derek and each other."

In her impact statement, Eileen Thorpe said they would never hear her brother's side of the story as "dead men can't speak".

Describing him as "a good listener, considerate and well-mannered", she added: "I don't know anyone who didn't like Derek.

"Derek believed in love. He loved his family fiercely and wholeheartedly and we loved him back, He was a good, kind man with a beautiful soul.

"This was a truly senseless taking of a life."

Mr O'Hare had lived at Anstee Road for about four to five years and on the day he died was described by his son Daniel as having been "happy and bubbly".

Emily O'Hare lived nearby and was also among his regular visitors. She told the court her dad's home was "always very bright, neat and tidy, with music on and incense burning".

She also explained how her father was "very open" about his drug use, which included LSD, magic mushrooms, cocaine.

He also smoked cannabis, having weaned himself off strong prescription medication for chronic knee and back pain.

The court heard however that about 10 days before the killing, the pensioner had accused Porter of stealing an amount of DMT - known for its hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects - from him, although he later made efforts to "move on".

However, Porter, who would use drugs with Mr O'Hare, was said to have ignored this, and he told the court he arrived at the flat on December 11 at approximately 10pm.

He said he was unarmed and had not expected any violence but as he walked up the communal stairs was confronted by the pensioner and repeatedly struck.

Porter explained that as the 'bat' was swung at him, he had tried to grab it and put his arms up to defend himself.

Following his arrest, he claimed to have blacked out and said he never saw a knife.

But at his trial he admitted he had lied to police and had in fact stabbed the grandfather.

Porter told the jury: “Derek had the knife, it looked quite big, silver. I let go of the bat and then I tried to get the knife off him.

“I grabbed him by his wrist and used force to get the knife. Then he’s stumbled back and eventually fell over.

“As he’s fell over, I’ve fell on top of him. I basically got the knife off him as he’s falling. We’ve had a scuffle.

“I stabbed him, I thought it was in the shoulder area. I know I stabbed him, but after that I don’t know - I can’t account for all the injuries.”

Three of the knife wounds measured between seven and 12cm in depth.

The fatal injury cut through one of Mr O’Hare’s ribs, through his left lung and punctured a major artery next to his heart.

Porter maintained he had defended himself as he came under attack.

Asked by his lawyer Ian Henderson KC what was the last thing he could remember while fighting with Mr O'Hare, Porter replied "Stabbing him" before adding "I just lost control of myself in that situation."

In mitigation at the sentencing hearing, the barrister said that by reason of the acquittal on the bladed article charge, Porter had not been armed with a weapon as the prosecution alleged when he arrived at the flat.

Mr Henderson also argued that there was a lack of premeditation and, in terms of any vulnerability, the victim was an "active and fit" man who had attacked Porter first.

But he said it had always been accepted by the defendant that it was his actions that proved fatal.

"At no stage in his evidence (at trial) had he sought to step away from what he had done," added Mr Henderson.

"He always acknowledged he was responsible for the death of Mr O'Hare and he has to live with that."

Prosecutor Nina Ellin KC told the court that although it was disputed who initially had the knife, even if Mr O'Hare had opened his front door holding a stick, he was soon disarmed and then stabbed unlawfully to death.

"He was certainly no match against a younger man," she said.

"And it was the defendant who was in possession of the knife when the fatal blows were struck and who had the option when Mr O'Hare was on the floor to walk away.

"But he (Porter) chose to use that knife on him."

Before passing sentence, Judge Simon James had described the trial as one he "would never forget".

The court also heard that despite his enhanced status in prison while on remand, a report had concluded Porter continues to pose "a high risk of harm to his associates".

Judge James told Porter that having himself described his victim as a good friend and "a nice bloke", it made his use of such extreme violence against a man almost twice his age "all the more difficult to comprehend".

Furthermore, he said that although he was "obliged" to sentence him on the basis that he may have initially been acting in self-defence, his own injuries had amounted to little more than grazing and bruising.

"This frenzied attack with a highly dangerous weapon, went far beyond anything which could conceivably have been justified in self-defence," Judge James told Porter.

"In stabbing Mr O'Hare repeatedly, with the ferocity and vigour you so obviously employed when he was already lying on the floor, you went completely over the top and were, when you killed him, in my judgment acting in retaliation and revenge.

"In my judgment, anyone who plunges a knife repeatedly into another's torso, including through the chest, cutting through the bones of the rib and into the heart, and separately through their back penetrating into their lungs, could not have intended anything other than to kill."

Judge James also dismissed Porter's protestations that he did not know Mr O'Hare was seriously injured when he fled the building, and remarked that his actions post stabbing were "deliberate attempts to hide potentially incriminating evidence".

He also rebuked Porter's persistence at trial asserting he had no memory of the attack, and said he had demonstrated "no genuine remorse, only self-pity".

Judge James also highlighted the importance of these continued claims to not remember in reaching his decision to impose an extended sentence.

"This purported lack of recollection when linked with your intoxication and long history of drug and alcohol abuse is a most concerning combination," he explained.

"Indeed, it is one which forces me to ask what, should you again become intoxicated....is there to ensure that such a situation might not occur again.

"In considering that question and taking account of the nature and extent of the violence and its fatal consequences, I find myself compelled to the conclusion that you are an individual who poses a significant risk of causing serious harm by reason of the commission of further specified offences."

Reacting to the jury's verdicts in July, Mr O'Hare's third son, Ben, told KentOnline: "My father was the best man I knew. A wonderful, caring and generous man which anyone who met him can attest to.

"As a family we are all completely devastated and dumbfounded with the verdict, and feel the only one without a life sentence is the one who killed my father."