A Southampton man who strangled his neighbour before stealing his money to spend it on crack and repay a £40 debt has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Wearing a white shirt, yellow jumper and dark trousers, Thomas Ellison, 35, did not react as Judge Christopher Parker KC handed him a life sentence for strangling his "friend", Ian Jupe, in the 58-year-old's own bedroom.

Judge Parker described how Ellison had come to collect a debt from Jupe on the morning of May 28, but that his victim had refused to pay, saying he had "other priorities" for the money.

The judge said: "As a result of that you grabbed his throat, you held him up against the wall and you strangled him.

"And in those 20 or 30 seconds, the effect of what you were doing must have been absolutely clear to you, face to face as you were, as you throttled the life out of him."

READ MORE: Southampton man guilty of murder after strangling neighbour

Ellison, left, at the post office where he withdrew money using Jupe's card (Image: Hampshire Constabulary) He added: "You pushed him back [when he struggled] until he dropped to the floor."

Describing Ellison's actions in the aftermath of the murder, Judge Parker said the murderer stole Jupe's card, withdrawing £481.10 from the victim's bank account at a nearby Post Office, where he then also bought lottery tickets.

He then used the cash to pay off a £40 debt of his own, buy £300 of crack cocaine and heroin, and even buy fuel and milk for Jupe’s niece Michelle.

The judge added: "But worse, before you left his flat you put him into his bed covered him up and tried to make it look like he was asleep.

"You then set about a series of lies to the police, his friends and his family over a number of days."

Shortly after the murder, Ellison returned to the flat where he lied to Michelle, telling her Jupe had not been feeling well and had gone to bed - a lie which he would later repeat to the police.

In a statement read out by Charles Row, KC, prosecuting, Michelle said: "I feel numb and angry about what happened to [Ian]. We always said he would outlive us all. On the day he died, I knew something was wrong as he didn’t answer. Since he died I just feel angry and frustrated because his death could have been prevented."

A statement by Jupe's sister Tracey was also read out. She said: "When I found out Ian had been murdered in his flat I completely broke down. I can’t believe that someone would want to kill him.

She added: "I struggle to sleep now because of Ian’s murder.”

While Judge Parker had initially considered a 30-year minimum sentence for Ellison, he later took into account the arguments of Natasha Wong KC, mitigating.

SEE ALSO: Police 999 call played to jury in Southampton murder trial

Ellison in the post office where he used Jupe's card to withdraw £481.10 (Image: Hampshire Constabulary) The judge said: "It seems to me that there is no evidence [you killed for financial gain]. You killed him in anger because he owed you a debt [...]. Killing in anger is different from killing for gain."

He added: "It’s not possible on the evidence to say that you must have intended to kill rather than to cause really serious harm to Mr Jupe."

As a result of this, the minimum sentence was lowered to 15 years, with three added for aggravating factors.

On November 20, a jury found Ellison, of Heather Court, guilty by unanimous verdict at Southampton Crown Court after just five hours of deliberation. He previously admitted theft.

During the trial, the court heard how Jupe and Ellison would meet frequently and how the victim believed they were "friends".

This was not the case, however, according to Judge Parker, who spoke of the murderer's "bullying" and "threatening" behaviour and Jupe's vulnerability.

Ian Jupe (Image: Hampshire Constabulary) "He was himself, on any view, a very vulnerable man," said the judge. "He suffered from a number of physical disabilities [...] including injuries to his hip and his arm. He was a user and indeed an abuser of prescription medication. He was dependent on alcohol and he misused drugs. He was not very mobile. He was not a big man."

Tragically, the court heard how numerous people, including Ellison, took advantage of Jupe's fondness for drugs and how the victim ran up significant debts to his suppliers.

Judge Parker said: "He was visited at his flat by many people, mostly young people, but including you, who he mistakenly thought of as a friend. But you were not a friend, because you took advantage of him, using his flat, taking drugs and drinking."