A man who stabbed a friend to death in a drunken fight at their Fulham home was today (May 30) convicted of murder and ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years in jail.

Daniel O'Gorman caused Declan Campbell, who was known as Tony, forty six different injuries. These included stab wounds to his back and chest area and cuts to his face, scalp and hands.

After his arrest, O'Gorman made a phone call to his brother and was heard to say:  "I have just paid him and he then said he wants me out, so I got a knife and stabbed him. Then he got the knife and stabbed me and I got the knife back and stabbed him again."

At Luton Crown Court, a jury found O'Gorman, a bricklayer and carpenter, guilty of murder of his former friend on October 17 last year.

Max Hill QC, prosecuting, said 49-year-old Mr Campbell and the defendant were living at 173A Stephendale Road in Fulham, a property that was sub-divided into two flats.

Mr Campbell was the tenant and occupied the front bedroom and O'Gorman lived in a back bedroom. There was a kitchen and bathroom area and a lounge

The fight between the two men, who had been drinking with a woman friend, spilled out into the courtyard garden and was seen and heard by some of the neighbours.

The jury was told when O'Gorman allegedly produced a knife to stab Mr Campbell, the woman had tried to intervene by shouting: "Stop or you will kill him". Neighbours called the police, who were quickly on the scene.

Police detained O'Gorman, who had blood on his T shirt. In the back garden, Mr Campbell was found slumped on the ground with a knife by his feet. Police officers, paramedics, ambulance staff and a doctor all battled to save him at the scene before he was rushed to hospital.

The knife wound that was to prove fatal was to his stomach and had resulted in the blade of the knife passing through his liver. In the early hours of the following morning he suffered a massive haemorrhage and cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 6.30am.

Later that day the defendant, said Mr Hill, was interviewed by detectives but answered 'no comment' to almost every question put to him.

There was, however, one question he did respond to, said the prosecutor. When asked 'Where did you get the knife from?' He replied 'Out of the drawer - no comment.'

The court was told O'Gorman, a father of four, had previous convictions for common assault, actual bodily harm, criminal damage, a public order offence and possessing drugs.

Judge Richard Foster told him: "You were the lodger and Tony Campbell was the tenant. You had both been drinking and taking cannabis. An argument developed, possibly because he no longer wanted you there. You armed yourself with a knife. One wound penetrated his liver and proved fatal. You have been convicted of murder. The only sentence I can pass is one of imprisonment for life. "

In fixing the minimum term of 15 years he said the murder was aggravated because it happened in the victim's home and by O'Gorman's previous convictions. But the judge said it was not pre-meditated until O'Gorman had armed himself. He said he could not be sure he intended to kill his victim, only that he intended to cause serious bodily harm.