A MURDERER has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 16 years without parole after stabbing a man on Christmas day.

Oliver Parsons, 31, admitted murdering Joe Lewis, from Rustington, who died at the scene in Montague Street at about 1am.

A post-mortem examination revealed the  24-year-old died from a stab wound to the heart at the flat in the Warwick Mount apartment block.

Parsons, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court and was warned he would remain on licence for the rest of his life. His total sentence was life with a minimum of 18 years reduced by two years for the time he has already served and his guilty plea.

He pleaded guilty at the start of a trial yesterday which had been expected to last five or six days.

The pair had been out for the day and returned to their friend's flat around 3pm where they began drinking, taking a legal high before they argued, which resulted in Mr Lewis being stabbed and dying at the scene.

Detective chief inspector Mike Ashcroft, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "A minor argument over nothing in particular lead to these tragic events of a young man losing his life and another facing a sentence in prison. Parsons had drunk a large amount of alcohol and had taken a concoction of cannabis, methadone and a legal high called Euphoria in the hours leading up to the murder. This so-called legal high is not for human consumption and is clearly dangerous and can have tragic consequences as they have in this situation.

"This was an extremely sad event especially on a day such as Christmas and my condolences go to Joe's family. Life in prison serving a minimum of 16 years is a fitting sentence. I would like to thank the prosecution team for working hard to get justice for Joe and his family.

"Judge Barnes said Joe was a gentle man and noted what a tragic and stupid crime Parsons had committed. She also commended the officers who attended the flat on the day for their bravery and professionalism."

The entire video footage shown in court was 40 minutes long. Sussex Police did not publish the full footage but provided this edited version to the press.