Bhekisani Matabiswana repeatedly punched and stamped on Luke Harden’s face
15:37, 18 May 2026Updated 15:38, 18 May 2026
Bhekisani Matabiswana
The violent thug who viciously attacked a DJ and left him to die in the street has been jailed for life. Bhekisani Matabiswana was found guilty of murder after a trial at Preston Crown Court today (May 18).
Matabiswana, 27, was working at a men’s club in Stackstead, near Bacup on October 31, 2025, when he came across DJ and male model Luke Harden, 37,
Luke, who worked for Nemesis Model Agency in Manchester, was DJing at the venue for a Halloween fancy dress party.
During that night, the pair were embroiled in an altercation that cost Luke his life. At 11.46pm, Matabiswana and his then-girlfriend Natalie Chadwick left the club in Huttock End Lane.
Luke left at the same time via a different exit. CCTV footage captured the two men at various points as they walked towards Newchurch Road, reports Lancs Live.
When the two men came across each other there was an altercation and Matabiswana repeatedly punched and stamped on Luke’s face. A member of the public, who the court heard had been attacked in an unrelated incident in the same spot in 2008, came across the scene as Luke lay dying in the road.
Still on the scene, Matabiswana was asked to call emergency services but failed to do so. He also “rifled through Luke’s pockets” and used his phone to ring Luke’s sister.
Luke Harden was pronounced dead at the scene(Image: Facebook)
By this point several members of Luke’s family, including his aunt Katie, had arrived at the scene. Preston Crown Court heard how she was forced to call her twin sister; Luke’s mum who was living in Spain at the time, and tell her that her son had died.
At Matabiswana’s sentencing, seven of Luke’s relatives and friends bravely read out statements describing the impact of his murder.
“My soul was instantly shattered. I screamed in a way I never have before in the realisation that our little boy was no longer living,” Luke’s mum said. “As a mother I became frozen in time. A shell of what I was. This has left me feeling a failure as a mother.
“When we look to the future it’s overtaken with fear, worry, stress and pain. We are living in a new reality that does not feel real and we will never be the same again.”
His dad Gary said: “The day my life changed forever when I was told; that will stay with me forever. Our lives have completely changed. Losing Luke in such a violent and senseless way is something we carry every single day.”
Luke’s sister Melissa said the siblings had shared a “special bond”. She revealed that she had been unable to return to her home since Luke’s death as that had been where she was when she heard the news.
Luke’s grandmother, who lived in Spain, died before the conclusion of the murder trial. Luke’s sister described how she flew to Spain to see her grandma before she died. As Melissa sat by her bedside she told her “Luke is waiting for you.”
“He lit up so many lives with that bright smile. He didn’t deserve any of this,” Melissa added. “My past has been tainted, my present is a wreckage and my future has been stolen. There is no end to my loss. I feel the loss of my brother every morning of every day.”
“You attempted to flee and made arrangements to get a flight to South Africa,” the judge added. “You gave a wholly untrue account to your mother and girlfriend in Zimbabwe. You were arrested at the departure gate. I reject your account that you intended to return.”
Luke Harden was a DJ and model
Luke’s best friend Matt Holden described carrying out CPR at the scene. “I was placed in a position where I had no choice but to attempt to bring my best mate back to life,” he said.
“I had no training apart from what I’d seen on TV. I remember crushing his chest desperately trying to bring him back. I have to relive the sight of my best mate’s beat up face every night when I sleep. What’s more haunting is the fact his murderer had his arm around me at the scene, frantically trying to make me believe he’d only fallen, knowing full well he had just beaten him to death.”
Honorary Recorder of Preston Robert Altham described Matabiswana’s claims that he had “found” Luke in the road as a “wicked lie”. Matabiswana had also attempted to flee the country to South Africa but was arrested at the departure gate at Manchester Airport.
“You attempted to flee and made arrangements to get a flight to South Africa,” the judge added. “You gave a wholly untrue account to your mother and girlfriend in Zimbabwe. You were arrested at the departure gate. I reject your account that you intended to return.”