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Can Arslan, 52, who had threatened to massacre neighbours following rows over parking, ambushed Matthew Boorman, 43, as he returned from work and stabbed him 27 times on his front lawn. He also knifed Mr Boorman’s wife Sarah in the leg as she tried to save her husband, then sat on Mr Boorman’s body and lit a “triumphant” cigarette.

Arslan also stabbed neighbour Peter Marsden eight times before being tackled by others, including an off-duty policeman, until police arrived. Mr Marsden survived.

One of Matthew’s children witnessed the murder on October 5 last year and Mrs Boorman said all three need therapy to come to terms with why “a bad man wanted to hurt their daddy”.

Jailing Arslan for life at Bristol Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cutts told him: “You have shown no guilt or remorse. You have continued to utter threats from prison.

“Without doubt, you are a highly dangerous man.”

She said the peace and lives in the quiet village of Walton Cardiff, Gloucestershire, were “shattered when your anger, resentment and rage exploded into a spree of planned violence”.

In an impact statement read to the d M B ld court yesterday, Mrs Boorman could not bear to mention Arslan by name, but referred to him as the “monster next door”.

She said: “My three children changed and will never be the same. No child should have to endure this.” Mrs Boorman said of her husband: “I miss him so much. I am trying so hard to hold it together for my children, but I cannot bear the loss of him.

“I am worried I did not do enough to save Matt.We will speak his name every day and remember him for the wonderful man he was.”

The killing was the climax of 12 years of threats, abuse and harassment by Arslan against his neighbours.

After he was found guilty of murder in April, Mrs Boorman said he had told police he was going to kill her husband the day before the attack, but they did not even warn him his life was in danger.

Arslan had been under an injunction banning him from threatening or abusing neighbours and had been served with a notice of eviction.

Arslan, who denied murdering Mr Boorman, claimed he was having a psychiatric episode at the time.

He later mentioned hearing the voice of his childhood teddy bear telling him to kill.

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